While presiding over the video conference with the Deputy Commissioners, Superintendent of Police and Chief Medical Officers of the State from Shimla today, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur directed the officers to provide all protective equipments to the doctors, paramedical staff, police personnel and other staff dealing with the persons arriving in the State by trains from various parts of the country.Chief Minister said that better facilities must be provided in quarantine centres so that people staying there do not face any inconvenience. He said that aged people and chronic patients should be provided all the required health care facilities and if required they should be shifted to health institutions. He said that proper facilities such as separate wash room facilities must be ensured in these institutions.Jai Ram Thakur said that over 1.30 lakh Himachalis stranded in various parts of the country have reached the State from 25th April till now. He said that about 81000 have been kept under home quarantine and over 6500 have been kept under institutional quarantine. He said that the remaining have completed their quarantine period. He said that people of the State need not to worry about the arrival of the Himachalis stranded in various parts of the country as the State Government was ensuring that nobody would be allowed to go home without proper check up and medical test. He said that safety of the people of the State was topmost priority of the State Government.
Chief Minister also directed the Deputy Commissioners to create additional facilities for institutional quarantine in their respective districts keeping in view large number of people still expected to reach the State in coming days. He said that the State Government had also made elaborate arrangements of PPE kits and other materials for safety of the corona warriors. He said that since all the people coming from other parts of the country would have to be kept in institutional quarantine till they are not tested for COVID and this would be additional burden on the quarantine centers.Jai Ram Thakur said that complete data should also be compiled of Himachalis visiting from other parts of the country. He said that main focus should be laid on tracing and screening of all the contacts of COVID positive patients to ensure their timely treatment and check spread of this virus. He said that all these persons should be asked to download ‘Corona Mukt App’ to effectively monitor the movement of quarantine persons.Chief Minister said that home quarantine mechanism must also be made robust and effective so that persons in home quarantine remain isolated and help in breaking the cycle of the virus. He said that the staff engaged in institutional quarantine should also be provided all necessary protective equipments so that they could work without any fear.Chief Secretary Anil Khachi assured that steps would be initiated for better equipping the institutional quarantine facilities to facilitate the persons stay there.Director General of Police S.R. Mardi, Additional Chief Secretary Health R.D. Dhiman, Principal Secretaries J.C. Sharma, Onkar Sharma and Sanjay Kundu were present on the occasion.