COVID-19 super spreaders: Surat starts green, white card plan

The Surat Municipal Corporation in Gujarat has introduced a 'green health card' for grocers, vendors, drivers etc to make people they come in contact with aware that the card holder has been vaccinated against COVID- 19 with one or both doses, an official said on Sunday.

These categories, as they come in contact with a large number of people in their line of work, can be 'potential super spreaders' and it is for this reason that the SMC introduced the colored health card system, he added.

"The green health card will tell customers that people employed in such categories do not pose the risk of spreading the virus," the civic official said.

Deputy Municipal Commissioner Ashish Naik said those who had not been vaccinated or even tested for the virus would be given white health cards.

These people will have to get themselves tested once every week and would be allowed to work only after their report returns negative, Naik added.

"Green health card-holders will no longer need weekly COVID-19 tests. We have already issued 89,000 white and 10,000 green cards so far," Naik said.

Surat city has a caseload of 1,09,371 as on Saturday, including 1,607 deaths, while 1,05,562 have been discharged post-recovery.