Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Dip in passengers from Singapore, says health dept

Feb 12, 2020, 04.28 AM IST

Coimbatore: The number of passengers arriving in the city from Singapore has reduced by nearly a half following the coronavirus outbreak, public health department officials said.

The number of passengers arriving from Singapore, which is usually around 170, has drastically reduced because they fear quarantine and movement restriction, deputy director of public health Dr Ramesh said. “Some days, only 50 people arrive from the island nation. We believe it is because of the coronavirus. Singapore is restricting exit and we are also restricting entry and movement if they show symptoms,” he told TOI.

The department has deployed four teams at the airport to screen passengers showing symptoms of the coronavirus, the official said. “I have received enquiries from people planning to fly into the city from Singapore and Malaysia on the quarantine conditions and restrictions in Tamil Nadu. Of the three people who called me, two cancelled their plans after I told them that we will quarantine them for 28 days if they have flu symptoms.”

However, airport authorities said that the fluctuation in the number of passengers flying into the city from Singapore is normal and could even be seasonal, with February and March being exam season in many places. “We are not noticing a sharp drastic decline,” airport director K Mahalingam said.

The seven Indians, who returned from China, have completed their quarantine period, said the director. “Now we are monitoring everyone landing from abroad displaying flu symptoms. The four medical health teams at the airport are ensuring that all passengers walk through the thermal scanner before leaving the airport. Since Singapore seems to have almost the second highest number of cases after China, we are monitoring patients who are flying in from the city.”

Meanwhile, 12 people continue to be under quarantine in the district, including a Chinese woman and her two children from Yunan. But none of them have tested positive for the virus.

Though most viruses die out during the summer, health officials said the behavior and viability of the coronavirus cannot be predicted. “We will have to wait for the peak summer to set in and see if the virus dies out like others and stops spreading,” said a health officer.

No comments:

Post a Comment

NEWS TODAY 21.12.2024