Twelve people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Puducherry, a top official of the Department of Health and Family Welfare Services said on Tuesday.

V Ravichandran, Director of Health and Family Welfare Services, in a press release, said the department had been screening individuals with cough and cold symptoms as per instructions from the Union Health Ministry.

Over the past week, 12 people have tested positive, it added.

Urging the public not to panic, Ravichandran said the Health Department was fully prepared to handle any emergency.

Four beds have been earmarked for Covid-19 patients at the Government General Hospital, Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute in Kadirkamam, and Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital for Children.

A six-bed ward with ventilator and oxygen support has also been set up at the Government Hospital for Chest Diseases in Gorimedu, he said.

The Health Department is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in New Delhi.