The number of COVID- 19 patients in Telangana rose to 21 on Saturday as two more people tested positive.
Patient 20 is a 35-year-old male from Hyderabad. He is said to be stable and is admitted at a hospital in the city. He was in primary contact with patient 14, who was confirmed COVID-19 positive on March 19. Patient 14 had arrived on March 14 from Dubai, developed symptoms and was subsequently isolated.
Patient 21 is a 33-year-old man with a travel history to the USA where he worked on a cruise ship called MSC Bellissima. He has also been admitted to a hospital.
The state government has asked all persons returning from any foreign country to be in self-quarantine at home for 14 days from the time of arrival irrespective of whether they have symptoms or not.
The public can reach out to the helpline 104 for all health-related queries pertaining to COVID-19. Telangana government is urging the public to stay calm and not panic.
The state says that all the measures to contain the spread of the virus and to protect and safeguard the public are being taken. Residents in the state have been requested to avoid travel, gathering in crowded areas, and have also been requested to maintain personal hygiene and adopt social distancing measures.
The Telangana government has tasked government officials along with health and police officials to ensure those returning from other countries and those who have come in contact with the returnees are placed under quarantine for 14 days.
Meanwhile, the Centre has revised the rules for testing COVID-19 across the country to include asymptomatic persons who have been in contact with persons confirmed positive for the novel coronavirus as well. The rules state these asymptomatic high-risk individuals should be tested once between day 5 and day 14 of coming into contact with a COVID-19 patient. This is because the coronavirus has an incubation period of between two to 14 days.
The first novel coronavirus case in Telangana was reported on March 2, and within a short period of 20 days, the numbers have risen to 21, with one recovery.