As the number of coronavirus positive cases in the country jumped to 84, the Central Government on Saturday declared COVID-19 as a national ‘disaster’ and announced to provide ex-gratia relief of Rs 4 lakh to the families who died of the virus.
The Ministry of Home Affairs in a letter to states and union territories stated: “Keeping in view the spread of COVID-19 virus in India the declaration of it as pandemic by World Health Organisation, the central government has decided to treat it as a notified disaster and announced to provide assistance under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).”
The Centre said that cost of hospitalisation for managing COVID-19 patients would be at the rates fixed by the state governments. The state government can use SDRF found for providing temporary accommodation, food, clothing and medical care for people affected and sheltered in quarantine camps, other than home quarantine, or for cluster containment operations.
The state executive committee will decide the number of quarantine camps, their duration and the number of persons in such camps.
“Period can be extended by the committee beyond the prescribed limit subject to the condition that expenditure on this account should not exceed 25 per cent of SDRF allocation for the year,” the Ministry of Home Affairs notification stated.
The cost of consumables for sample collection would be taken from the funds which can be sued to support for checking, screening and contact tracing.
Further, funds can also be withdrawn for setting up additional testing laboratories within the government set up. The state has also to bear the cost of personal protection equipment for healthcare, municipal, police and fire authorities. Further SDRF money can also be used for procuring thermal scanners and ventilation and other necessary equipment.
The officials maintained that more than 4,000 people who had come in contact with the 84 positive cases are under surveillance.
“A Mahan Air flight bringing back Indian passengers from Iran will land in Mumbai on Saturday midnight. A special Air India flight is being sent to Milan in Italy on Saturday to bring back Indian students,” the official added.
While a 76-year-old man from Kalaburagi who had recently returned from Saudi Arabia died on Thursday, a 68-year-old woman in Delhi who had tested positive for coronavirus passed away at Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital on Friday night.
The woman, whose son with a travel history abroad had tested positive, died because of co-morbidity (diabetes and hypertension), the health ministry said, adding she had tested positive for COVID-19.
