Punjab cancels leaves of staff engaged in reporting coronavirus  

The Punjab government has cancelled the leaves of all the key employees engaged in reporting and managing coronavirus disease, an official said on Friday.

State Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said that the staff involved in surveillance of coronavirus would be granted leave after getting sanction from the Directorate Health Services, so that the screening and the test process of the suspected passengers would not be affected.

He said 22,236 passengers have been screened at the International Airports of Amritsar and Mohali.

Also 16,549 passengers have been screened at Attari-Wagah border in Amritsar and 5,687 at Dera Baba Nanak check post in Gurdaspur district.

Of the 1,517 passengers, who have travel history of China or transit stay at airports, 35 samples were collected for testing and they have been reported negative by the National Institute of Virology in Pune.-IANS