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Cured residents join fight against Covid-19 in Pune
The civic body’s initiative also received praise from the central team which recently visited the city and recommended it to extend it to other parts
In an effort to spread awareness, Sangeeta Bhosale and Shenaj Sheikh, who were tested Covid-19 positive and recovered, are assisting the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and visiting worst-affected areas appealing to residents to follow precautions and not panic.
PMC has appointed Covid-19 cured patients as brand ambassadors in the Dhole Patil ward office.
Sugar commissioner Saurabh Rao, appointed by the state government as Dhole Patil and Bhavani Peth ward office incharge, has started the concept in the city.
Rao said, “Residents showing symptoms related to Covid-19 generally do not come forward when administration and government agencies appealed to them. As there is a lot of fear regarding the virus spread, we decided to appoint cured patients as brand ambassadors and their strong emotional appeal has shown positive results.”
“They (brand ambassadors) are voluntarily helping us. Some of them accompany the health teams and speak to citizens in containment zones. We have even prepared videos and circulated it in among citizens living in high-risk areas,” he said.
Bhosale and Shaikh’s efforts is getting positive results in Tadiwala slum areas.
Shaikh said, “The virus affected our whole family, and we all are cured and completed the isolation period. I am appealing to people to come forward if they show any symptoms and defeat Covid-19 as I did and get information and treatment with the help of doctors, police and the administration.”
Bhosale said, “My kids and I recovered from Covid-19. We don’t need to be frightened. If anyone has any problem, they should immediately go to the hospital. Hygiene should be maintained at home like frequent hand washing.”
The civic body’s initiative also received praise from the central team which recently visited the city and recommended it to extend it to other parts.
According to Dhole Patil ward regional ward officer Dayanand Sonkamble, the appeals made by cured patients have been effective.
“The Tadiwala slum has a population of 57,000 and daily 70 to 80 positive cases are being reported from the slum. The appeals made by cured citizens have seen a fall in positive cases. Now, we see single-digit cases and even zero on some days from the slum,” Sonkamble said.
