Odisha On COVID-19 Alert: Kalyan Mandaps To Serve As Temporary Quarantine Centres

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Monday issued a list of advisory to the civic body officials to step up precautionary measures against the possible spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

In a letter to Municipal commissioners of the Municipal corporations and executive officers of all municipalities and Notified Area Councils (NACs), principal secretary, Housing and Urban Development G Mathivathanan has asked them to perform the following tasks.

—Temporary quarantine centres like Kalyan Mandap, community centre, cyclone shelter, shelter for urban homeless or any other buildings of any department/agency (private or government} with electricity (sufficient lights and fans with power back-up DG sets} end continuous water supply facility should be kept ready for use when required. All these buildings should be given a facelift by way of colouring of the exterior and interior part wherever required. It may be considered to engage facility management agencies for managing these centres when required.

—Service provider agency may also be immediately contacted to provide additional manpower for managing the facilities.

—All these buildings should be properly sanitised for maintaining proper hygienic condition. A dedicated team should be deployed for proper maintenance, watch and ward etc.

—Specific teams should be farmed on a cluster approach basis to oversee the sanitary condition and health status of their localities and submit a daily status report.

—The ward should act as surveillance officer for the entire ward area.

—The ward officers should keep in touch with the community for updating the current position relating to their ward for taking further action at a different level.

—The Swachha Sathis engaged for the solid waste management purpose should be extensively utilised in collecting and reporting the information pertaining to the presence of any foreigner or any inhabitant who visited foreign countries within the last 15 days in their localities to the commissioner or executive officers.

—Focus should be on environmental sanitation. The earlier instructions need to be scrupulously followed.

—As instructed earlier, water jetting machines should be procured and made available within two days in all toilets and Aahaar centres.

—Fogging and spray machines should be used regularly to sanitise the localities. These machines should be purchased in adequate numbers to meet the requirements. Even if delivery time in placing the purchase order, it is worthwhile to procure now for the present and future usage in sanitation activities.

—All community and public toilets should get a facelift and need to be given colour coating and make sure that it gets running supply and electricity and hand wash with soap facilities etc.

—All parks shall remain closed from 2 pm onwards every day.

—IEC campaigns should continue to generate ample awareness. Any misleading and false information spread through social media or any other mode should be immediately reported.

—The urban local bodies are authorised to make necessary expenditure for all the above activities out of the funds available under FC grants (state funds/own resources).

—All kinds of gatherings should be strictly prohibited.

—Regular coordination should be made with the district collectors and the Health and Family Welfare Department officials to ensure proper adherence of the advisory.