Mumbai: On Thursday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray held a marathon meeting through video conferencing with revenue commissioners, district collectors, municipal commissioners, zilla parishad CEOs and district surgeons, and reviewed the situation.
Thackeray has asked the administration to launch extensive awareness campaigns. All fairs and government programmes have been cancelled till further orders.
Screening at the airports has been stepped up and tour operators have been asked to provide a list of travellers to the administration.
All government events, including travel, community events, and campaigns, will be cancelled till further advisory.
The government has taken a decision that gatherings at tourist spots and pilgrimages will be contained. The Chief Secretary instructed various organizations to cancel religious programs and tours in cities for at least 15 to 20 days.
The government has further asked the district administration to instruct tourism companies not to take any bookings for the next few days, and instructions have been issued to keep public toilets and public places clean. Strict action will be taken against those who do not follow these instructions, the government has warned.
The government has appealed to citizens that they should not panic and form long queues outside hospitals to be tested. Those who return from travel abroad should themselves stay at home for 15 days and not mingle with family members or others. The government is reviewing the situation every two hours.
If a patient tests positive for coronavirus, a team must be formed to inquire into his or her travel and contact details. A Standard Operating Procedure will be put in place in each village.
District Collectors have been told to set up control rooms in their respective districts and make adequate arrangements to quarantine passengers who return from travel to any of seven countries - China, Iran, Italy, South Korea, France, Spain and Germany.
As per the Centre's guidelines, all travellers coming from these countries will be quarantined at the Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur airports. The quarantine facility has been further strengthened there.
Thackeray said that irrespective of the people testing positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra, the origin of the virus isn't local. He said it had spread through foreign tourists.
"The checking and screening has been intensified in the state since yesterday, and discussions with the embassies of different countries is on," he said.
Meanwhile, Mulund legislator Mihir Kotecha rubbished rumours that five patients in Mulund had tested positive for COVID-19. ''I have spoken to all concerned authorities, and there are no such cases.
This is absolutely false. I request all not to panic. In Mumbai, COVID-19 tests are done only at Kasturba Hospital, so the moment any case is detected, they will make it public,'' Kotecha said.
