With 7,711 confirmed cases while the death toll reached to 170, the Coronavirus outbreak is now on the verge of being declared as the global health emergency. The scientist across the world are now racing to develop the vaccine and China has already announced its collaboration with scientists across the world to figure out the cure, treatment and vaccine for the dreadful viral infection. While the National Health Commission confirmed that the Coronavirus’ ability to spread is getting stronger with each passing day making it harder for the authorities, airports across the world are instructed to take necessary measures for screening passengers who may be infected.
While the neighbouring countries are at doldrums over the dangerous new virus, questions over the vigilance at the Indian airports stood as the main challenge for the Indian government. Airport authorities across the country have teamed up with the Indian Ministry of Health to carry out screening of passengers at all airports in the country. As a part of which, airport authorities started thermal screening for all passengers and flight crew who are arriving from China. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan stated that the thermal screening will be extended to 20 airports while only seven designated airports New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi are caring out for now.
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However, the ground realities reveal another story. According to the norms, an isolated quarantine centre which does not share the same air-conditioning should be set up in the airports while none were seen so far. Besides thermal machines, the airports have so far arranged for-a-name-sake quarantine centre and an ambulance has been kept on stand-by to transfer patients to a hospital if they test positive for Coronavirus. While many of the airports were waiting for the land sanctions, a few of them stated that there is a crunch in personal protection equipment including bodysuits, goggles and gloves. Comparatively, China is a developed country which is now struggling to combat the virus. What if it touches India? Does our hospitals and technicalities efficient enough to fight back?
