PMO reviews India's preparedness to deal with coronavirus cases

The Prime Minister’s Office on Saturday (January 25) reviewed India’s preparedness to deal with the deadly coronavirus amid mounting global concern over the increasing number of cases in China, the epicentre of the outbreak, and several other countries.

At a meeting chaired by P K Mishra, Principal Secretary to the prime minister, health ministry officials presented an update about response measures being undertaken in the wake of Coronavirus outbreak in China, official sources said.

The meeting was held on the instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Cabinet Secretary, Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary, Defence Secretary, Health Secretary, Civil Aviation Secretary and several other top officials attended the meeting. They said health ministry officials briefed Mishra on the preparedness of hospitals, laboratories as well as on measures being taken for the capacity building of rapid response teams to deal with possible cases of coronavirus.

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The principal secretary to the PM also reviewed the various preventive measures taken by other ministries like the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The officials assured Mishra that the situation is being closely monitored by the Ministry of Health and Family Affairs, in coordination with various other Union ministries as well as state governments and Union Territories.

So far, 20,000 people from 115 flights at seven international airports in the country have been screened.

The sources said the National Institute of Virology labs are fully equipped to test the virus and that all state and district health authorities have been alerted.