2 fresh cases detected, Haryana’s tally up at 8

With one positive case each from Panchkula and Sonepat, the total number of Covid-19 cases in Haryana rose to eight on Saturday. While four positive cases have so far been reported from Gurugram, one each from Panipat and Faridabad were reported on Friday.

SONEPAT WOMAN RETURNED FROM UK 3 DAYS AGO

The Sonepat case involves an MSc student who had returned from the United Kingdom three days ago. Sonepat principal medical officer Dr Adarsh Sharma said, “The woman, a resident of Sector 14 in Sonepat, has tested positive for Covid-19. She is pursuing MSc (physics honours) from the Cambridge University, England, and had returned home on March 18. Initially she went into self isolation at her house but was admitted to Bhagat Phool Singh Medical College in Khanpur Kalan in Sonepat on Friday after she showed coronavirus symptoms. Her blood and throat swab samples were taken on Friday, which were reported positive by the National Institute of Virology, Pune.”

He added, “All 14 members of the woman’s family had maintained distance from her but have been asked to stay under home quarantine for 14 days. Her family members are so far not showing any symptoms of the pandemic disease. There samples will be tested, if they also start showing any such symptoms of the Covid-19. We have sealed the lane near her house and a notice in this regard was posted outside her house.”

PANCHKULA WOMAN CAME IN CONTACT WITH CHANDIGARH PATIENT

The case in Panchkula involves a 38-year-old woman who worked at a beauty salon that Chandigarh’s first coronavirus patient visited on her return from London. The woman is a resident of Kharak Mangoli village in Old Panchkula adjoining Sector 1. She tested positive, while her son tested negative. The woman has been kept in isolation at the civil hospital in Sector 6, Panchkula.

No need to panic, adhere to Janata curfew, appeals CM

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday said that during the Janata Curfew on Sunday, all essential commodities, including grocery shops, petrol pumps and chemist shops would remain open.

Urging people not to panic, Khattar exhorted them to adhere to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to observe Janata curfew on Sunday for protection against the novel coronavirus.

DCs TO CHECK SANITISERS, MASKS HOARDINGS

Presiding over a review meeting with all deputy commissioners (DCs), district food and supplies controllers and grocery wholesalers, retailers and vendors through video conferencing here, he also directed the DCs to ensure that there was no shortage of any essential commodities especially sanitisers, masks and floor cleaning agents and there was no unnecessary increase in wholesale and grocery rates of essential commodities and that all necessary steps be taken to stop profiteering and hoarding.

He also asked the DCs to discourage panic buying in their respective areas so that people did not buy excess goods and make the public aware that the normal supply of essential goods would continue.

EMPLOYERS ASKED NOT TO CUT SALARIES

Khattar also appealed to the people associated with all types of business to take special care of their employees who were on leave in this period and treat them as their families by following a humanitarian approach by not deducting their salary and providing them full support.

PUBLIC DEALING RESTRICTED

The government has decided to restrict public dealing in government offices across the state. An official spokesman said that as per the orders, public access to important government officers such as district and state secretaries would be restricted by all department and offices. All the departments would provide a telephone number for the general public so that they could seek any information and service from them during office hours.

MEDICAL CERTIFICATE MUST

Meanwhile, the school education department also issued an order for all its teaching and non-teaching staff returning from foreign country to get themselves medically examined by the district surgeon before joining duty. The employee would be allowed to join only after obtaining the medical fitness certificate from the civil surgeon of his or her respective district, the order added.