Healthcare

Coronavirus scare: Gujarat students stuck in China returning, says CM Rupani

Updated : January 29, 2020 07:16 AM IST

He said the students will be screened upon their arrival in Gujarat.

At least 100 students from Gujarat staying in China had expressed their desire to return home due to the outbreak of novel Coronavirus in Wuhan and some of them are coming back from Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday, chief minister Vijay Rupani has said.

Rupani has instructed state chief secretary Anil Mukim to collect all the information about the students stranded in China and provide them necessary assistance if they want to return, an official release stated on Tuesday.

"Around 100 students from Gujarat had expressed their desire to come back from China. Some of them are coming back from Beijing today while remaining students would return tomorrow. We are working in coordination with Indian as well as Chinese government over the issue," the CM told reporters in Gandhinagar.

He said the students will be screened upon their arrival in Gujarat.

The work to collect information on the students from Gujarat stuck in China will be carried out at the district level by the State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA) and state Relief Commissioner's office.

The CM directed the state administration to remain in touch with the Central government and the Ministry of External Affairs to extend help to the students willing to return from China, the release stated.

In a precautionary measure, Vadodara's Sir Sayajirao General Hospital has created a special isolation ward to admit any person showing symptoms of the novel Coronavirus.

However, no such case has been reported in Gujarat till now.

"We have alerted all the major government hospitals and medical colleges in the state. We have enough stock of medicines for patients and that of high quality masks and protective dresses for doctors and staff. We urge people to remain alert but desist from creating any unnecessary panic," Jayanti Ravi, Principal Secretary in the state Health and Family Welfare Department, told reporters.

Novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from common cold to acute respiratory syndromes, but the current deadly strain of virus was not seen before.

It has emerged from a seafood and animal market in China's Wuhan, and is suspected to have spread to as far as the United States.

According to the World Health Organisation, the common symptoms of the novel coronavirus strain include respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.