Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday said that the state government would leave no stone unturned to ensure that the coronavirus infection does not spread in the state.
The virus has actually not spread in the state and not a single person in the state is affected by it, he said in the Assembly.
The man from Telangana, who tested positive for the virus, had gone to Dubai and went to Bengaluru before reaching Hyderabad. He is recovering in the state-run Gandhi hospital, the chief minister said.
"We will not let it spread with the ability that God gave us and by spending Rs 1,000 crore if necessary. We will face it, if it spreads. We will use all our might," he said.
He dismissed opposition Congress MLA D Anasuya's claims that masks were not available in the state, amid concerns over COVID-19, and asked why masks are needed for all.
He said he had no knowledge about coronavirus and quoted a scientist as having told him that there is no need to panic over the virus and that "it is enough to take a paracetamol tablet."
Meanwhile, Health minister E Rajender asked district health officials to be ready with a concrete plan of action to handle the situation arising out of coronavirus (COVID-19) and if required, send suspected cases to Hyderabad for further examination.
Rajender, who conducted a video conference on COVID-19 with district medical and health officials, said the state machinery is fully prepared to tackle the situation.
Rapid response teams should be ready in each district and awareness among public, particularly in maintaining proper hygiene should be created, he said.
"Only one positive case of COVID-19 has been identified in Telangana so far and people need not panic. There is no impact of coronavirus in Telangana but if anyone coming from foreign countries are found to be having the symptoms, appropriate treatment is being provided after required tests," the minister said, according to an official release.
Rajender said stern action would be taken against those selling masks at higher rates.
The state reported its first COVID-19 case on March 2 when a 24-year-old software personnel, who recently returned from Dubai, tested positive for the virus.
Against the backdrop of various fears about how the virus spreads and high demand for masks in spite of repeated assurances by the government that there need not be any panic, Rajender on Friday visited the state-run Gandhi hospital here, where the man who tested positive for the virus and those with suspected symptoms are treated.
The minister also interacted with the man. A media bulletin on COVID-19 issued by the state government on Saturday said results of 14 samples (cumulatively) were awaited.
Five of the 19 samples collected had tested negative.
On Saturday, Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan visited the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here and inspected the precautionary measures taken up by the airport authorities to prevent the virus infection.
Cyberabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar said a coordination committee has been formed with various government agencies and IT firms and industry bodies.
The committee held a meeting and discussed key action items including on developing a Standard Operating Protocol document to be used by IT companies in case of any suspect case surfacing and on how to deal with the situation.
The scope of document is to address, among other things, steps involved in guiding the suspected case and persons around, communication to neighbouring occupants and the building management for further action.
The IT companies reported that attendance was quite normal in their respective campuses and that it is business as usual across their facilities in Hyderabad.
A techie working in the IT Corridor here tested negative for coronavirus recently, though the IT corridor witnessed a panic few days ago over unconfirmed reports that the IT employee had tested positive for the virus.