East Champaran DM reviews preparedness to prevent COVID-19

Satish Aditya

Raxaul (Bihar): East Champaran DM Shirshat Kapil Ashok, who reviewed the measures being taken by the district administration to prevent COVID-19 on March 12, 2020, at a high level co-ordination meeting with officials at Integrated Customs Check-post and Immigration  Check-post at Raxaul near Indo-Nepal border, said that check-posts would be installed at every 5 km distance in the district where medical teams will examine the people on the border side.

The SSB will arrange more check-posts near their posts on border with medical staff. The DM further said that the people coming from Nepal will be screened in the middle of Maitri-bridge by a team of medical staff  as more than 15,000 people come and go through this
bridge daily. The administration has taken various  preventive  measures to check the pandemic COVID-19 on this porous border running into a stretch of 68 km.

SSB Commandant, 47the Battalion, Priywart Sharma  said that the SSB has initiated awareness drive in  bordering villages about Coronavirus  and its Jawans  are alert on open border and  screening all the  persons crossing the border on different transit points. This border remains open both from Nepal and India sides.

Civil Surgeon, East Champaran, Dr Rizwan Ahmad, said that  more than 37,000 persons  including foreign tourists  have been screened  for any symptoms  of Coronavirus at the Customs Check-post and Immigration Check-post at Raxaul on Indo-Nepal border by the medical teams  during last 20 days but not a single person tested positive. A six- bed  isolation ward for Covid-19  has been created at Duncon
Hospital, Raxaul. The truck drivers coming from Nepal are being screened here. The Civil Surgeon said  that hundreds  of persons are passing through this Check-post from Nepal side. But someone spread  rumour  that  this border had been sealed, he said.  It is baseless  and  false, Dr Ahmad said. This border is open, he said.

Dr Ahmad said that a resident of  Kesariya  in the district, who had returned from Nigeria in February 2020,  had come
to Motihari Sadar Hospital with suspected symptoms of Coronavirus. He was  referred to Sri Krishna Medical College & Hospital (SKMCH), Muzaffarpur, Dr Ahmad said.

Bihar Government has deputed  Dr Nageshwar Prasad, Additional  Director, Health Department, to Raxaul for monitoring the situation  related to Covid-19.  Health Minister Mangal Pandey said that 7  Additional Directors of state  health department have been deputed in 7 districts of North Bihar adjoining Nepal border for strict vigilance. He said that altogether 52 suspected  cases of Covid-19 were found in state but in 49 cases test report were found negative while in 3 cases test report are awaited.