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Corpn staff panic as more turn +ve
Workers of the Greater Chennai Corporation, who are in the frontline of the fight against COVID-19 pandemic, are left to fend for themselves, as the civic body is allegedly not testing them despite the assurances given by Corporation Commissioner G Prakash recently. This despite several Corporation workers testing positive in the recent days.
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Chennai
Highlighting the risks they are facing, a sanitary inspectors who is tasked with disinfection drives, contact tracing and other prevention works urged the civic body to test their samples. “There are only about 110 sanitary inspectors in the city. But none of us have been tested yet. We are worried about carrying the infection to our families,” he said.
Pointing out that sanitary inspectors were travelling a long distance to reach the areas where they are posted, the person said authorities should post them near their residences until the situation returns to normalcy. “This will prevent us catching the infection while travelling,” he added.
Sources in the civic body said that four workers, who are doing the door-todoor survey in Anna Nagar zone, tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday. Also, a conservancy worker in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, where already two workers had tested positive, and a survey worker in Valasaravakkam zone were also found positive. However, senior officials refused to confirm the COVID-19 cases among the civic body workers.
“The administration should come forward to conduct tests for all workers. Now they are testing only those workers who are showing symptoms. There are several asymptomatic cases being reported in the city. The administration is also refusing to test the workers who visit infected persons’ houses,” a worker alleged.
When asked, a senior official said all the workers have been given masks and gloves. “They are asked to stand away from the residents while collecting details. The possibility of contracting the infection is very low,” the official claimed.
Auto driver, a volunteer with Corpn, battling virus
An auto driver, who worked as a volunteer for Chennai Corporation in COVID-related work, tested positive to coronavirus, after which Rani Anna Nagar in KK Nagar where he resided was declared as a containment zone. The 29-year-old was involved in collected data from door-to-door since April 14, said the police.
On April 22, he had accompanied six people from Jafferkhanpet, who tested positive, to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH). Along with them, he gave blood samples for testing. Two days later, the results showed that he too was positive.
After he was admitted to RGGGH, his 26-year-old wife, 7-year-old son, and a 13-year-old neighbour girl also underwent tests. The residents of all the 48 houses in the block and another 48 families living in the opposite block have been asked not to step out, and area has been declared as containment zone.
Similarly, 18 including 12 of a family tested positive in Pulianthope on Saturday. One of them, a conservancy worker, tested positive on April 22, and later 11 from his family and a tenant also tested positive. All of them from Basin Bridge area have been admitted at Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital.
Meanwhile, a 42-year-old man who died of Covid-19 at a private hospital on Saturday was cremated at Otteri crematorium on Sunday. The man from Otteri was admitted on Friday with fever, but he died on Saturday. Health officials accompanied the body and cremated it in the presence of his family. A Deputy Commissioner, three Assistant Commissioners, four inspectors and 20 police personnel were present to ensure the smooth funeral.
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