Five private schools in National Capital Region have been closed down till March 10 for sanitizing the campuses after the parent of a student, who had hosted a birthday party, was found positive with Coronavirus. At least 70 people came into contact with the Coronavirus patient, and among these, six were from Agra and 44 people were those who attended the birthday party.
Meanwhile, National Institute of Virology, Pune has confirmed that an Italian tourist admitted to a Jaipur hospital has been confirmed virus-positive. His wife has also been tested positive. The couple visited major tourist spots in Rajasthan as part of a group of 23 tourists from Italy and they might have put a lot of people at risk, health authorities say.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to people not to panic. “We need to take small yet important measures to ensure self-protection”, the PM tweeted. Modi also shared an advisory on basic protective measures people can take to avoid coming in contact with the virus.
These steps include: washing hands frequently, maintaining social distancing, avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth, practicing respiratory hygiene and seeking medical care at the earliest, if one has fever, cough and difficulty in breathing.
Research done on Coronavirus so far has shown that the virus is temperature-sensitive. It is not active in temperature beyond 35 degree Celsius and perishes at temperature beyond 50 degree Celsius. The virus can remain active in air for nine days. Scientists in India feel that the risk of spread of Coronavirus is there for the next 45 days when summer will set in. Once temperature rises in hot summer, the virus will stop from spreading. Yet, the next 45 days are crucial because the virus spreads very fast.
To avoid this virus from spreading, people should avoid visiting congested places, try to keep at least one metre distance as the virus spreads due to coughing and breathing, avoid shaking hands with people and do ‘namaste’ greetings from a distance, keep sanitizer to wash hands frequently for at least 20 seconds at a time, and try to wear masks for avoiding the virus.
There is no need to panic. If one is infected with the virus, it does not mean that it could be fatal. There are more than 90,000 people in the world infected with Coronavirus and, till now, only a little more than 3,000 people have died. So the fatality rate is hardly four to five per cent, but prevention is the best cure. Panicking can only lead to more problems.
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