Coronavirus scare: 230 passengers from Delhi screened at Arunachals Naharlagun station

A team of doctors on Saturday screened as many as 230 passengers and railway staff at Naharlagun station for possible novel coronavirus infection, officials said. The passengers arrived at the station from New Delhi by the Arunachal Express.

They were screened with the help of non-contact infrared thermometers, a senior health official informed. It was found that no one had fever, their body temperatures were normal and all of them were allowed to enter the state, the surveillance officer of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), Dr L Jampa, said in a statement.

A total of 24 passengers and crew members were screened at Naharlagun helipad, he said. All the passengers coming from Guwahati by chopper were found to be afebrile (having normal temperature) and allowed to enter the state. Leaflets were also distributed to the passengers and others on precautionary measures against the virus infection, Dr. Jampa said.

He said that personal protective equipment, gloves, 3 -layer surgical masks, N-95 masks, posters and leaflets were issued in sufficient quantity to the districts for taking preventive measures. The state health department has already taken adequate measures to stop the spread of the disease in the Himalayan state.

Arunachal Pradesh has decided to temporarily stop issuing Protected Area Permits (PAPs) to foreigners in an attempt to prevent the epidemic from reaching its borders. The ban has been imposed as a precautionary measure.