Life insurance for healthcare professionals, media, police in Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Wednesday offered life insurance for those at the front line of the coronavirus threat, including doctors, healthcare professionals, sanitation workers, and media and police personnel.

Announcing this in the Uttarakhand Assembly which met after a long recess here on Wednesday, Rawat said doctors, nurses, sanitation workers, paryavaran mitras, the media and the police were serving people at the risk of their own lives.

Life insurance will be given to all falling into these categories as a gesture of gratitude, he said.

Terming coronavirus as a huge challenge before mankind, he appealed to people to stay at their homes during the 21-day countrywide lockdown.

Asking people to show restraint and will power during the period, the chief minister said social distancing is the only strategy which can help overcome the challenge posed by coronavirus. 

All coronavirus patients in the state are being treated for free, he said giving a detailed update on the situation in Uttarakhand.

Isolation and institutional quarantine facilities are there in all districts. There are 933 isolation beds in different hospitals reserved for coronavirus suspects and patients. 

There are 1,384 beds at institutional quarantine facilities in the state. Four persons have tested positive for the disease, 1,323 are under observation out of which 1,244 are at home and 79 in hospitals.

Four government medical colleges in Dehradun, Haldwani, Shrinagar and Almora have been reserved for the treatment of coronavirus cases, he said. 

On the complaint of opposition leader Pritam Singh that people continue to come out on the streets to buy essentials without the protection of masks and sanitisers, Rawat said measures will be taken to ensure compliance of the lockdown guidelines.