Yogi Adityanath assures Uttar Pradesh govt taking all possible steps to fight Coronavirus

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Monday that the government has taken every possible step to contain the spread of Coronavirus pandemic. He reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's advice to take precautionary measures against the deadly virus. 

"The Uttar Pradesh government has taken all possible steps, as advised by the Central government, to fight the spread of Coronavirus. The Prime Minister has repeatedly said that prevention is better than cure and we are following the same and spreading awareness about it," Adityanath told reporters.

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CM Yogi said the State government is conducting training for doctors and para-medical staff to treat patients suffering from Coronavirus. Over one lakh Anganwadi and Asha workers have been trained along with four thousand doctors in Uttar Pradesh. The Chief Minister said that UNICEF and WHO are also assisting the State in conducting these pieces of training.

"We have 1,268-bed isolations wards as of now and it can be expanded if the need arises. We have also assured the availability of masks, gloves, and gowns in each district," said Adityanath.

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Schools, colleges and malls shut

Yogi Aditynath also said that the UP government has taken several other measures to control the spread of COVID-19, by closing educational institutes, malls and cinema halls in areas along the border of Nepal.

"We have closed all the schools till March 22 in which exams are not going being held and have ordered the closure of malls, multiplexes in GautamBuddha Nagar, Agra, Lucknow, Ghaziabad, other districts along the Nepal border. Mass gatherings should also be avoided in these areas," Adityanath said.

Earlier on Saturday, Chief Minister informed that five laboratories have been set up with the help of the Central government for testing Coronavirus patients in UP.

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"With assistance from the central government, we have set up five laboratories to provide the facility of sample checking of coronavirus cases in the state. King George's Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI), Lucknow, Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College, Gorakhpur, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, and one in Aligarh," said Yogi Adityanath.

As of March 15, Uttar Pradesh has reported 12 cases as of deadly Coronavirus and has taken several precautionary measures to contain its spread. As many as 115 cases of COVID-19, including 17 foreign nationals, have been reported across India, as of March 15.

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(With inputs from agencies)