Army rushes to build quarantine facility as 300 set to arrive from Coronavirus-hit Wuhan

Ahead of the airlifting of nearly 300 Indian students from Wuhan, China, the Indian Army has sprung in action to create an emergency quarantine facility near Manesar. The Indian students that will be arriving from Wuhan will be monitored for a duration of two weeks by a team of doctors to watch for any signs and symptoms of the novel disease. 

Read: India prepares to airlift first batch of citizens from Wuhan amid coronavirus outbreak

As per the information released by the Indian Army, the procedure of screening and quarantine will comprise two steps, the first one being screening at airport followed by quarantine at Manesar and if any individual is suspected to be infected, he/she will be shifted to the isolation ward at Base Hospital Delhi Cantonment (BHDC). The Screening at the airport will be done by a joint team of Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) and Airport Health Authority (APHO). 

Classification into 3 groups

1. Suspect Case- Individuals with any signs of fever and/or cough and/ or respiratory distress will be directly transferred to BHDC.

2. Close Contact- Any individual without symptoms but having visited a seafood/animal market or a health facility or having come into contact with a Chinese person with symptoms in the last 14 days will be escorted in an earmarked vehicle directly to the quarantine facility.

3. Non-Contact Case-  Any individual without any symptom(s) or contact or who does not fit into either (a) or (b) will also be clubbed along with the close contact category and sent to the quarantine facility.

Read: Japanese evacuees quarantined after 3 of them tested positive for coronavirus

Layout of the quarantine facility at Manesar 

The facility consists of accommodation barracks for the students, administrative areas and medical facility area. To prevent a mass outbreak, the facility has been divided into sectors, each with a maximum capacity of 50 students. Each barrack has been further subdivided into barracks. The population of sectors will not be allowed to intermingle with each other.

Routine at the Facility

Daily medical examination of all students will be done at the medical facility area and all the staff, health care workers and housekeeping staff must wear their personal protective equipment (PPE) at all times. PPE consists of a mask, eye shield, shoe cover, gown, and gloves. The rest of the visitors and all students will wear a three-layered mask at all times. After 14 days, persons with no symptoms will be allowed to go home with their detailed documentation sent to the District/ State surveillance units for further surveillance.

Read: Doctors' body warns of possible spread of coronavirus to Kashmir Valley

"Those found infected will be shifted to BHDC's isolation ward for further medical exams and recovery. Samples for viral confirmation will be sent to NCDC, Delhi and patients will be discharged only after clinical recovery and two successive negative samples tested for n-COV," stated an officer. 

Manpower at the Facility

The facility will be administered by a nominated Officer In Charge (OIC) who will have under his command a Community Medicine Specialist, two Nursing Officers, a Lady Medical Officer and one Nursing Assistant. No civilian or serving personnel detailed to work inside the facility will be allowed to go outside unless compelled by an extreme emergency situation.

Read: Coronavirus scare: Raj to identify, examine travellers from China

(With Agency Inputs)