by Pankaj Yadav
NEW DELHI, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Indian Health Secretary Preeti Sudan chaired a video conference Saturday with health secretaries from different states, senior officials of National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and Airport Public Health Officers (APHOs) to review their preparedness for prevention and management of COVID-19, according to an official statement.
Indian Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has also been reviewing the status, actions taken and preparedness of states everyday, said the official statement issued by the Health Ministry.
India has cured the three cases of COVID-19 in the southern state of Kerala, but the government is taking precautions to prevent spread of COVID-19.
A senior doctor at NCDC on condition of anonymity told Xinhua that enough preparations were being done in India to control the spread of COVID-19, right from screening of passengers at the ports and airports, setting up quarantine facilities where required, keeping suspected cases in isolated wards, and keeping hospitals ready in case any positive case is found.
"Fortunately, so far only three positive cases have been found in India, all of them in southern state of Kerala, and all of them have been successfully cured," he said.
Meanwhile, the Delhi-based NCDC has been putting out regular travel and health advisories making people aware how they can keep away from coronavirus-like diseases.
"What China has done in controlling the coronavirus is marvellous and unparalleled. It has set a glaring example before the whole world at the pace at which it sprung into action in controlling the spread of coronavirus," said Dr. Inderjeet Singh, an acupuncturist in India's northern state of Punjab.
Singh also lauded the way China isolated the suspected cases of coronavirus, implemented traffic restrictions of the epicenter and overnight set up of a new hospital.
"We need to learn from China in preparing ourselves as we have repeatedly had viral diseases in the past," Singh said.
Meanwhile, the Indian business community on Friday lauded the Chinese government's efforts in fighting the COVID-19 epidemic and expressed solidarity with the Chinese people.
At a roundtable discussion held in the Indian capital city, the Indian business community expressed hope that trade between the two countries would resume immediately.
"It is not the crisis of China alone but it's the crisis of the world. It is a highly interconnected world, so whatever happens there will impact us. We stand with China means we stand with the world," said Srinivasan Swamy, chairman of the International Advertising Association.
Chinese ambassador to India Sun Weidong tweeted Saturday: "My sincere thanks to Indian friends from business community for their support and solidarity to Chinese people fighting against COVID-19. Resuming normal personnel and trade exchanges at an early date serves the interests of our two peoples."
