Coronavirus came through international flight, all passengers should have been quarantined: Chhattisgarh CM

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday said that coronavirus came to India "through international flight" and the Centre should have ensured that all passengers coming to the country through such flights were quarantined.

Addressing a presser through video-conferencing, Baghel said the state had taken comprehensive measures to check the spread of coronavirus including testing of those who returned from abroad during which they came across a case in which a person was found positive almost two months after his return.

Raising questions on the way the central government had handled international passengers, he said if they had been quarantined, the disease would not have spread to so many states.

"This disease has come through international filght.Those who came by such flights should have been quarantined whether they went Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad or Chennai," he said.

"If international flights had been stopped or those who came kept in quarantine and tested, the disesase would not have spread to the entire country," he added.

The Congress leader said that states could have been told that international passengers reaching in their areas should be quarantined and checked properly.

"We did it. We quarantined 2100 people who had returned from aborad and we started testing from there. That is why we were able to stop it," he said.

The Chief Minister said party leader Rahul Gandhi had given directions on ways to combat COVID-19 in the first week of March.

Baghel said they moved early to contain the spread of virus and 11 cases had been reported in the state of whom nine have returned home.

He said the state enforced a lockdown on March 21 and the first case was reported on March 18 and the concerned area sealed. .

The Chief Minsiter said three more cases were reported after two days and the case histories revealed that maximum patients found positive had returned from United Kingdom. He said people who had returned from aborad were home quartined and 90 people who had returned from UK were tested.

Baghel said that normally it is said that effect of coronavirus is visible in 14 or 21 days but positive cases were found in asymptomatic people also.

"There is a case that a person stayed in quartaine for 18 days and was asymtopatic but turned out to be coronavirus positive in investigation. There is a case of a person who returned from abroad in February. He was tested and found positive after two months. We have seen that there are people without symptoms who are coronavirus carriers," he said.

Referring to Chhattisgarh model of fighting COVID-19, he said the state took early decision to close all schools, colleges, theatres and multiplexes and deferred school examinations.

He said the central government should take responsibility of bearing the entire cost of free coronavirus testing by private and government hospitals.

Asked about extending lockdown after April 14, he said that the chief ministers of all states will have a meeting with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 11 and he will give his suggestions in the meeting if asked.

Baghel said that all state governments must be taken in the loop on any decision on inter-state travel.

Noting that the state government has decided to purchase PPE and testing kits to do rapid testing, he said arrangement had been made for migrant labour from other states in 2100 rooms and halls with adequate facilities.

Baghel said he had suggested that Rs 1,000 per month to be transferred to MNREGA and unorgzed sector workers' accounts for the next three months and 750 should be transferred in accounts of Jan Dhan beneficiaries for the next three months.

( With inputs from ANI )

Open in app