There are no positive cases of coronavirus in Tamil Nadu, where 54 samples have tested negative and 1,243 people were being monitored, state Health Minister C Vijayabaskar told the media in Chennai on Friday.
After reviewing arrangements to screen passengers at the airport, he said the set-up has been strengthened now and assured that the government was continuously monitoring the situation across the state.
Apart from the Airport Authority of India, the Tamil Nadu Public Health Department has also joined the effort and a 100 -member team, including doctors and paramedics, are on the job round the clock, he said.
Over 8,000 passengers arrive from 50-plus flights every day in Chennai and all of them were being examined for symptoms of coronavirus, he said.
A range of the latest equipment, an examination ward and a dedicated ambulance are part of the infrastructure at the airport.
"So far 1,00,111 people have been screened at the airport and 1,243 people are being monitored and this will be for 28 days; and 54 samples have tested negative," he said, asserting there are no positive cases of coronavirus in the state.
Additionally, 1,654 people, who earlier shown some symptoms, have been removed from the watch list after 28 days of monitoring, he noted.
Across Tamil Nadu, 300 beds under separate isolation wards are ready and these can be increased if necessary, he said, adding medicine, requisite safety gear for doctors and paramedics, and equipment were also available.
Private hospitals in the state have been advised to earmark isolation wards and follow protocol for the treatment of virus, he said.
Key railway terminals and the port have also been included in the screening process aside from airports, he said. He also noted that the borders with neighbouring states also continue to be under surveillance
The Chief Secretary has sent advisories to district collectors on ‘do's and don'ts’ and the guidelines include creating awareness about the virus among the public, especially in places where people congregate in large numbers such as schools, colleges, factories and malls.
Tamil Nadu began taking precautions and mounted surveillance soon after the outbreak of the virus, when three people from Kerala were infected.