Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday said the state has begun screening all households to stop the spread of coronavirus and is also trying to revive its economy in a safe and phased manner.
At a video conference of chief ministers with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Khattar said Haryana is fully prepared to deal with any situation arising due to the coronavirus crisis.
According to a statement, the chief minister said the state government has made arrangements to handle up to 19,000 COVID-19 patients and set aside 9,444 isolation beds.
As many as 1,101 ventilators are in place and there is no shortage of surgical masks or personal protection equipment (PPE), he said.
He urged the Centre to take quick steps to remove the uncertainty over the dates for competitive examinations like those for the defence services, the JEE exam for engineering colleges and the NEET for medical courses.
Haryana has so far reported 299 coronavirus cases. The figure includes 24 foreign nationals. Three people have died.
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He said the state has done well on several parameters, including the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients, which is 68 per cent.
Khattar said an average of 3,115 samples are taken every day and 22,243 tests have been conducted so far for coronavirus.
The medical screening process will cover 100 per cent of the families in the state. This is being done by 20,792 health and Anganwadi workers, according to the statement.
While carrying out the screening, samples are being taken of all those showing COVID-19-like symptoms, the CM said.
He said at present there are 155 containment zones where the lockdown is being strictly implemented.
In compliance with the Centre's guidelines, the state is bringing industrial and economic activities to normalcy in a phased manner, he said.
Permission is being given to industries which are not in containment zones to operate with certain conditions, he said.
Industrial activity has started at places with arrangements to accommodate workers at the workplace itself. Khattar said 18,750 people are now working at 415 such units.
Apart from this, more than two lakh labourers are working at 1,448 brick kilns.
Stringent measures are being taken in Panipat, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Panchkula, where most cases of COVID-19 have surfaced.
Khattar also told the prime minister about the measures taken at grain markets for the safety of farmers and labourers.
The chief minister said so far 32.21 lakh people have downloaded the Aarogya Setu app on their mobile phones. The app sounds an alert if they come in close contact with an infected person.
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