CM Uddhav prays 'Coronavirus gets burnt in Holi fire'; assures 'ready to deal with it'

Briefing the Maharashtra Assembly on the state's preparedness to tackle the novel Coronavirus (COVID19), CM Uddhav Thackeray, on Thursday had a prayer that the 'virus should get burnt in Holi fire', as Holi marks the occasion of burning all inauspicious things. Assuring that the state government was equipped to deal with the disease, he appealed all MLAs to maintain calm among their constituents. He also briefed on the steps issued by the government to hospitals, airports and others to scan travellers and to isolate patients respectively. 

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Thackeray: 'I pray the coronavirus gets burnt in the Holi fire'

"I appeal to all MLAs to assure their constituents that this government is prepared to tackle the disease and not to panic. As of today, there is no need to worry about the spread of the disease in Maharashtra," he said. On being prompted by Congress-turned-BJP rebel MP Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, he added," PM Modi has announced that Holi celebrations have been suspended and  I pray the coronavirus gets burnt in the Holi fire. But I still request people to be careful for the next 8-10 days and to avoid travelling to crowded places."

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He added, "We should not panic and fight the Coronavirus together. The requirement of masks needed to protect oneself has been stocked by the government sufficiently. We have also requested private hospitals to ensure the readiness of a quarantine ward to isolate the affected patients. I have also briefed Mumbai, Nagpur airport authorities to scan all international flights and authorities have also been briefed to provide adequate protective equipment to cleaning staff."

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Current situation of Coronavirus in India

India has reported a total of 30 positive cases of the Coronavirus till date. Three cases were reported in Kerala earlier who have since recovered and have been discharged, one from Delhi who travelled to Italy, one from Telangana who travelled from Dubai, six in Agra, one in Ghaziabad and 16 people in Rajasthan who were in contact with an Italian couple in Jaipur. India initiated required preparedness and action since January 17 at the field level, while WHO raised the level of global risk to a "very high" on February 20, 2020.

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