Puducherry Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy has assured of immediately releasing ₹1 crore from the State Disaster Relief Fund and taking immediate preventive measures in the wake of the confirmation of a COVID-19 case in Mahe.
The Chief Minister along with Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao held a review meeting with officials in Mahe on Thursday to assess the situation and discuss steps to be adopted to curtail the spread of the disease.
Addressing the media after the meeting, Mr. Narayanaswamy said of the total ₹1 crore allocated from the disaster relief fund, ₹40 lakh will be released as first instalment, of which ₹10 lakh will be used to purchase medical equipment, ₹25 lakh to provide facilities such as treatment in isolation wards, and ₹5 lakh for awareness work.
The Chief Minister said medical equipment, including ventilators, would arrive soon. The State government is taking all measures to prevent the spread of the disease. “People should not panic, but they should follow instructions from the Health Department,” he said.
Mr. Narayanaswamy said he had contacted Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, seeking help to prevent the spread of the disease.
He further said that in Puducherry, Karaikal, and Yanam, as many as 123 persons were under observation, and that the test results of 23 people had returned negative. Meanwhile, checks have been tightened along Puducherry’s shared border with Tamil Nadu.
On the condition of the 68-year-old patient who was tested positive for COVID-19 at Pallur Kunjipura Mukh, he said it was satisfactory. The patient’s daughter-in-law is also under observation in the isolation ward, and her test results are awaited, the Chief Minister added.
