Siliguri reports 22 new Covid Cases Fresh cases include three Siliguri Municipal Corporation staff, three in Mirik; Asok Bhattacharya is stable

SNS, SILIGURI, 20 JUNE 2020: Three employees of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) were among 22 persons who were tested positive for Covid-19 today.

The chairperson of the board of administrators of the civic body, Asok Bhattacharya, had tested positive for the virus on Wednesday and he is undergoing treatment in a private hospital, where sources said his condition was stable.

Civic body officials said the assistant head clerk, an employee of the department of culture and the personal assistant to the commissioner of the SMC were found to be carrying the virus. The SMC head office has been closed for three days from Thursday. Five among the new cases have been reported from Ward 46 in the town. In Mirik in Darjeeling, two ambulance drivers of the Mirik Block Primary Health Centre and a youth from the 9th Mile area have tested positive for the virus, official sources said.

Safe houses being developed: 

The health department is developing'safe houses' for asymptomatic persons or for those having Covid 19 symptoms in north Bengal. Meanwhile, one more isolation ward will come up for severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) cases at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH).

According to health department officials, along with other facilities, either the existing institutional quarantine centres are being converted into 'safehouse' or extra spaces are being arranged for the same. These issues were discussed in a meeting chaired by the officer on special duty for Covid-19 in north Bengal, Dr Susanta Kumar Roy, with representatives of the Indian Medical Assotiation and private nursing homes at Uttarkanya here today. The meeting also discussed isolation facilities for Covid- 19 cases in private nursing homes as part of the 'satellite health facility.' North Bengal Development Minister Rabindranath Ghosh, Jalpaiguri divisional commissioner Ajit Ranjan Bardhan, and Darjeeling district magistrate S Ponnambalam were present in the meeting.

Three such facilities have been developed in Siliguri, Jalpaiguri district also has three 'safe houses', Cooch Behar has seven, and Alipurduar has three such centres, officials said. "The state government has decided to develop 'safe houses' to keep persons with no symptoms or with mild symptoms. Many persons do not have facilities in their residences for home treatment. Each home will have doctors and nurses. There will be

medications and proper food for those staying there," Dr Roy said. He said one more isolation facility will be arranged for at the NBMCH for patients suffering from SARI or for suspected Covid- 19 patients. The NBMCH presently has three isolation facilities with more than 40 beds.

Dr Roy said they asked private hospitals today to set up observation units as part of 'satellite facilities where patients testing positive for Covid-19, but are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. can be kept for observation.

"We have told them to arrange for such facilities by setting aside bedsfor critically ill patients. It will be an annexe facility which will function as observation wards close to the hospitals. If the condition of any patient admitted in the facility worsens, that person will be admitted to the adjoining dedicated Covid- 19 care centre," he said.

He said he was aware that many patients suffering from other diseases were being refused by private nursing homes.

"The doctors are facing social problems if they attend to positive patients, they are worried about the situation. We will hold a meeting with representatives of the society so that people cooperate with the health workers," Dr Roy said.

14 new cases in Malda: 

In Malda, 14 mores samples tested positive in the Malda Medical College and Hospital last night. Five of the new cases are from Kaliachak, three from Chanchal, two from Harishchandrapur and one from Manikchak.

Two persons from the flu clinic in the MMCH and one police man of English Bazaar were also tested positive for the virus.