The Tripura government has decided to convert the Bhagat Singh youth hostel in Agartala into a 300-bed Covid-19 treatment centre.
The state government decision came soon after a spurt in the number of novel coronavirus patients in the state.
Tripura has reported a total of 118 cases, highest in Northeast, followed by Assam, which recorded 59 cases.
Out of the 118 cases, 116 are active and two patients have recovered.
“The state government has decided that Shaheed Bhagat Singh Youth Hostel in Agartala will be converted into a Covid-19 care centre. From tomorrow, any Covid-19 patient will be shifted to the youth hostel,” additional chief secretary (health), S.K. Rakesh, told reporters on Friday:
He said persons with mild symptoms and asymptomatic patients will be shifted to the centre.
“So far, we have arranged 300 beds and if the positive cases increase, we will also increase the beds,” Rakesh added.
Rakesh said 24 BSF personnel of the 86 Battalion headquarters tested positive on Thursday.
Among them, a sub-inspector of BSF’s 3 Battalion headquarters, deployed at Dhalaighat border outpost in Kamalpur subdivision of Dhalai district, had also tested positive, he said.
“The jawan from BSF’s 3 Battalion was admitted with fever and cough at Kamalpur subdivisional hospital. After his sample tested positive, he was shifted to GB Pant Hospital along with the 23 other jawans,” Rakesh said.
The state government has also declared the Dhalaighat border outpost as a containment zone and started contact-tracing.
“The close contacts of the patient are being traced. At the Kamalpur containment zone, around 4,800 people reside. Based on the situation, surveillance is going on,” he said.
He further said they have contacted inspector-general of BSF Tripura Frontier and are in the process of collecting samples on a random basis from all 18 BSF battalions in the state.
“The source of infection was not known yet and the BSF officials are saying that no personnel entered the state from outside after lockdown,” Rakesh said.