China returnee admitted in Jalna amidst COVID-19 scare

Jalna, Mar 18: A man who had returned from China was admitted to the isolation ward of a government hospital here in Maharashtra for possible exposure to the novel coronavirus, an official said.

Addressing a press conference here, district collector Ravindra Biwnade said the man was admitted to the isolation ward of the District Government Hospital as a precautionary measure.

He had returned from China where the deadly coronavirus (Covid-19) originated in December, Biwnade said.

The man is a resident of a village under Ghanswangi tehsil of Jalna district, the collector said.

Earlier, three coronavirus suspects were admitted to the hospital, one of whom tested negative for the viral infection, while the medical reports of the other two are awaited, he said.

The collector said five people, who had come here from Thailand, have been quarantined at their homes and their swabs sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, for examination.

Forty-three people who had come in contact with them have also been quarantined at their homes, Biwnade said.

He said the district administration is geared up to tackle any situation arising out of the coronavirus threat.

Biwnade said 217 sub-health centers and teams consisting of doctors, nurses and health workers are ready to tackle the spread of the disease.