Child tests positive: Centre team talks Covid preps with state..... Inter-Ministerial Central Team members to finally begin field visits on Thursday

SNS, SILIGURI, 22 APRIL 2020: Around 48 hours after a five-member Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) arrived in Siliguri to assess the situation related to Covid-19 management, health services infrastructure, and the lockdown, team members today had a chance to hold discussions with a senior state administrative official.

The team, which is led by the additional secretary of the ministry of human resource development, Vineet Joshi, has other experts and officials of other disciplines. They arrived here on 21 April and are staying at the Siliguri Frontier Headquarters of the SSB at Ranidanga on the outskirts of the town. The team members, who are supposed to conduct a field study of the situation in three districts of Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling and Kalimpong, held discussions with Jalpaiguri divisional commissioner Ajit Ranjan Bardhan today. Mr Bardhan went to the SSB campus to meet them for around an hour, sources said.

It later appeared that the team was satisfied with the discussions.

The arrival of the two teams in Bengal allegedly without prior information to thes state government, has sparked a faceoff between the Centre and the state.

"Discussions were generally held on the Covid-19 situation in the region, how the lockdown is being enforced, status of containment zones, how patients were being cared for, number of patients, and number of quarantine facilities. 

Other discusson swere also held and Powerpoint presentations made over the situation.The team will conduct field inspection tomorrow. The state government is cooperating with the team," the sources said.

It is learnt that the members inquired about the location of the quarantine centres, location of the isolation centres, names of areas that have been sealed, situation of the markets, and whether the administration is getting daily reports over the lockdown situation.

The purpose of the IMCT is to focus on supply of essential commodities, social distancing, movement of people, preparedness of health infrastructure, hospital statistics in the districts, safety of healthcare professionals, availability of testing IMCT, PPEs, masks and other safety equipment and condition of relief camps for labourers and poor people.

The other members of the team are the head of the department of health promotion & education of the All India Institute of Hygiene & Public Health, Prof Shibani Dutta, Advisor (Ops) National Disaster Management Authority Brig. Ajay Gangwar, director of the department of consumer affairs Dharmesh Makwana and deputy secretary of the Union ministry of health & family welfare NB Mani.

Child tests positive: A 22 month-old child of Covid-19 parents was tested positive for the coronavirus today, health department sources said. His mother, a North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) nurse, father and grandmother earlier tested positive for Covid-19. They are all undergoing treatment in the Covid-19 hospital at Matigara while the child is with his mother because he is too small to be separated, doctors said. Another NBMCH nurse is also admitted there with Covid- 19.

Binoy for Centre team to be quarantined: Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha leader Binoy Tamang today said the central government team should first remain in 14 days' quarantine and then enter the GorKhaland Territorial Administration areas.

"Rules have been set by the central government and the health ministry that bar people from travelling from one district or state to another and they must be followed.The team should first stay in 14 days' quarantine and enter the GTA areas," Mr Tamang adding that the team had come all the way from Delhi where many Covid-19 cases had been reported.

More tests at VRDL: Efforts have been made to increase the number of tests at the VRDL at the NBMCH. The high-end laboratory, which started functioning last month, caters to five districts of north Bengal, and Sikkim. The officer on special duty for Covid- 19 in north Bengal Dr Susanto Roy said a new instrument will be installed soon."Yesterday, 134 swab tests were conducted and all were negative. Within two-three days,the number of tests will go up to more than 260." Dr Roy said.

Health screening at borders: Dr Roy said he had discussed with police officers a plan to start screening for people entering the districts from other districts or states at the entry and exit points. Health workers will examine such people with infrared thermometers and certificates issued about their health status.

In another development, he said that doctors will have to henceforth mention the reason for referring patients to suspected Covid- 19 hospitals.

He also said discussions were held to identify separate burial grounds for Darjeeling district as a dedicated crematorium has been selected at Sahudangi near Siliguri.