Gautam Budh Nagar district received 260,000 distress calls since Lockdown 1.0

Noida The Gautam Budh Nagar district administration has urged residents to use the Covid-19 helpline as much as possible in case of any pandemic-related emergency,

Noida The Gautam Budh Nagar district administration has urged residents to use the Covid-19 helpline as much as possible in case of any pandemic-related emergency, and said that over 260,000 calls were received through different helplines since the first phase of lockdown was announced in March.

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Officials said that at least 400 calls are received daily on the 24-hour Covid-19 helpline number – 1800 419 2211 – at its integrated control room which was launched on April 4.

“Till Thursday, at least 260,000 calls were received through different helplines and the numbers are gradually increasing. A team of 20 to 50 staff work at the integrated call centre alone, depending upon the call flow. With increasing number of queries, we are looking forward to increasing the strength of staff handling the helpline,” said Suhas LY, district magistrate, GB Nagar.

The complaints through the helpline are received by the staff from district administration, police, health department and other local authorities.

“Apart from focusing more on the sampling and strengthening out isolation facilities, we are also trying to keep the residents informed and we urge them to reach out to us to avoid any confusion or to seek any help related to the Covid-19,” the district magistrate said.

He said that with time the nature of calls have changed. “Earlier, most of the calls were related to the food and ration, which were being distributed through community kitchens. Now, they are about the health related issues. Many people enquire about the symptoms related to Covid-19, and want to get tested,” Suhas added.

The officials said that there are different parallel helplines in the city which are being used since the lockdown was announced on March 25. “There is a separate helpline for chief medical officer. Then there is one announced by the police. Besides, each development authority has its own helpline. The latest in the series is the integrated helpline that has been working round the clock,” said Rakesh Chauhan, district information officer, while explaining the large number of calls.

The district has so far recorded 2,569 positive cases, the highest for any district in the state, according to official figures updated till Friday. Of the total positive cases in the district, 1,005 are active patients, the data shows.