The Chandigarh health department has directed its ground staff to trace at least 10 contacts of Covid-19 patients to stop the chain of infection amid a steady rise in numbers in the city.
The directions have been given on the basis of feedback received from rapid response teams constituted for contact tracing. Even a team of experts sent by the Centre in early September has found delay in contacting patients and subsequent contact tracing.
Dr Amandeep Kang, director of health services and family welfare, Chandigarh, said: “Health officials will call Covid patients thrice within a week to give them enough time to think about where all they had been before testing positive. Contacts in those places will be considered, where the person spent considerable time and did not follow social distancing norms or ignored wearing a mask.” She said the exercise will be carried out as a counselling session, and not an inquiry.
Officials said with curbs being lifted and more placed being opened, most people are unable to recall all the places they had visited, thus making the exercise more cumbersome. “There is also fatigue that has set in among both residents and officials. But to minimise the infection spread, tracing and testing of contacts is necessary,” said a senior official involved in the exercise.
{{/usCountry}}Officials said with curbs being lifted and more placed being opened, most people are unable to recall all the places they had visited, thus making the exercise more cumbersome. “There is also fatigue that has set in among both residents and officials. But to minimise the infection spread, tracing and testing of contacts is necessary,” said a senior official involved in the exercise.
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