Shillong, Jul 24 (PTI) The authorities of the Shillong Civil Hospital, a leading state-run facility, closed down its outpatient department for an indefinite period from Friday after a doctor there tested positive for coronavirus, an official said.

The indoor patient unit and emergency services of the hospital will continue, he said.

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"The government has decided to temporarily close down the OPD from July 24 and restrict the movement of visitors at Shillong Civil Hospital for the next few days," Health commissioner and secretary Sampath Kumar said.

The doctor is suspected to have contracted the disease while performing his duties in the COVID unit of the hospital, he said.

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"The senior anaesthesiologist attended a COVID-19 patient whose condition was critical. The patient later died," an official of the facility said.

The OPD was closed down for sanitisation, he said.

Samples of all staffers working in the COVID-19 unit of the hospital are being tested every week, the official said.

"The tests are also being conducted for all secondary contacts of the staffers working in the COVID unit and other employees of the hospital," he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)