Chandigarh govt declares Coronavirus an epidemic, issues regulations to contain the spread

After Maharashtra, the Chandigarh Administration's Department of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday declared the outbreak of Coronavirus as an epidemic. As per reports, the authorities have issued several regulations to contain the spread of the virus under Section 2,3 and 4 of the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897.

Reportedly, under the Act, all hospitals in the region have been directed to create special wards for the screening of suspected Coronavirus cases. Along with it, all government and private hospitals in the region have been directed to record the travel history of the suspected cases. 

On March 7, the Chandigarh Administrator, VP Badnore had suspended bio-metric attendance system in government/private institutions till further notice.

Issuing a notification, the administration had said, "The Chandigarh Administration has taken all measures with regard to containment measures being taken to avoid the spread of said disease by setting up 24X7 helpline, dedicated ambulance and fully equipped isolation wards in all the three hospitals namely GMSH-16, GMCH-32& PGIMER." 

Coronavirus in India

As of date, the total number of positive cases in India has soared up to around 107 as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Along with it, two deaths have been reported in Kalaburagi and West Delhi respectively. India has suspended all visas, barring for a few categories such as diplomatic and employment apart from keeping in abeyance the visa-free travel facility to OCI cardholders till April 15.

Read: CM Uddhav declares 'Coronavirus epidemic in Maharashtra'; schools in Pune & Pimpri shut

Moreover, the Centre has “strongly advised” Indians to avoid all non-essential travel abroad. The government is also monitoring all suspected cases and issued preventive advisories. 

Read: Maharashtra: One more tests positive for Coronavirus taking total count to 32

The Coronavirus outbreak

First detected in Wuhan in December 2019, COVID-19- the novel coronavirus has affected nearly 135 countries in the world. Presently, there are over 142,649 confirmed cases of COVID-19 which has led to the death of 5,393 people. As there is no vaccine or specific antiviral medicine to treat COVID-19, countries have been grappling with all possible mechanisms to contain its scope. So far, China, South Korea, Italy, and Iran have witnessed the most number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus.

Read: Chandigarh admin suspends bio-metric attendance in institutions amid COVID-19 scare

Read: Karnataka govt postpones exams for classes VII to IX amid Coronavirus scare

(With ANI Inputs)