Over 1,200 quarantined so far in Kolkata amid coronavirus scare

Over 1,200 persons who arrived in West Bengal from countries under the grip of coronavirus have so far been quarantined, a health department official said on Thursday. Altogether, 1,252 persons were placed under surveillance till March 4 and of them, the surveillance period of 115 is over, the official said.

One person is admitted to an isolation facility, while 1,136 are under home surveillance, he said, adding that they are in a stable condition. Till date, 29 samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune and ICMR-NICED, Kolkata and none have tested positive, the official said.

As a pre-emptive measure, 92 beds in different hospitals across the state have been kept ready, he added. A health department statement said a total of 42,913 travellers have been screened at Kolkata and Bagdogra airports till March 4, while 87,871 persons have been screened at seven checkpoints along the borders with Nepal and Bangladesh.

Also, 3,132 crew members of different ships have been screened at the three ports in the state, it said. Minister of State for Health Chandrima Bhattacharya said the state government has made all preparations to tackle coronavirus. The health department has set up 24x7 helplines -- 1800 313 444 222 / 033 2341 2600.