Pondy CM, ministers, MLAs to be tested for COVID-19

The Puducherry government on

Wednesday said Chief Minister V Naryanasamy, his ministerial colleagues, MLAs and MPs would be tested for coronavirus on the premises of the Assembly here on April 23.

Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao told reporters here that the medical test would be held between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Thursday and test results would be available by April 25.

"We will use the RTPCR equipment to conduct the test," he said.

Stressing the need for such a test for the people's representatives, the Health Minister said they had been moving about in various places to ascertain whether the social distancing was adhered to by the public.

 

"To be on safe side the test had been planned now for people in public life."

The government had stayed the use of Rapid Kits received last night from the Centre for testing the COVID 19.

"The ICMR has now directed the government to refrain from using the kits in view of the kits being not up to the mark.

"We will take steps once we get clearance from the Centre on using the kits," Rao added.

Puducherry had established a good record of having only three positive cases who were under treatment in the Indira Gandhi Government Medical college hospital.

"There would be no relaxation of the norms as we have to wait for nearly 10 days for the lockdown to come to an end," the Minister said.

He feared that if restrictions were relaxed, patients from neighbouring States, which were in red zone would troop into Puducherry and its outlying regions.

Hence, the territorial government had come out with a plan to associate the JIPMER to take care of patients at the border points here.

"Only emergency cases from neighbouring districts of Villupuram and Cuddalore would be attended in JIPMER while patients with normal and non serious ailments could be turned away at the border points," he said.

According to the health department, door to door surveillance had been conducted in the Union Territory covering 2,51,381 families which meant 9,54,226 persons had been covered out of the total nearly 13 lakh population.