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With least positive cases, Kothrud and Aundh-Baner ready for ‘green zone’, says Pune civic chief
Pune municipal commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad says good leadership, public participation and awareness key factors in combat against Covid-19.
PUNE: With Kothrud and Aundh-Baner recording no fresh cases in almost weeks, zero deaths and barely three positive cases as of April 21, both these wards are ready to be designated as ‘green zone’, Pune municipal commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad has said.
“Currently they are in orange zone but they can be marked as green zone any time now since there have been no fresh cases reported in weeks in these two wards,” Gaikwad said.
The green zone refers to areas where there are no cases of Covid-19 (coronavirus), as per the Union health ministry guidelines.
He said good leadership, public participation and awareness was much better in these wards than in other parts of the city. “People have been responding well to social distancing. Even the slightest mismanagement or anyone found breaking the rules is being reported by the people themselves which is like a social policing on the people by the people which is helping keep down the figures,” Gaikwad said.
Dr Ganesh Damale, ward medical officer at Aundh-Baner ward, is responsible for the home surveillance in Aundh-Baner ward said, “We kept a strict watch on not just foreign travellers but domestic travellers by including society chairmen and local leaders who keep us informed. Any person found with any flu like symptoms is immediately referred to the nearby flu clinic and from thereon to the hospital if required for swab testing. Also we ensure that home quarantine is strictly being followed not just for 14 days but for 28 days by calling the person daily and also cross checking with the society chairman.”
Ram Sonawane, ward medical officer and responsible for home surveillance at Kothrud said, “We ensured separate disposal vehicles for waste from quarantine centres. At slums we ensured that we sprayed over 1,000 toilets seats at public toilets with one percent sodium hypochlorite atleast three times a day. We asked our staff coming from Bhawani peth or Kashiwadi, both which are red zones to take leave to contain the spread. All society chairpersons were added in a common groups to inform about any new person entering their societies be it a vegetable vendor too. Every shopkeeper made sure that social distancing was being followed.
Each ward has been appointed with a civic doctor who will look into the house-to-house survey.
Sandip Shankarrao Kadam, assistant ward officer at Kothrud ward said, “We found only one positive and that patient too has been discharged. We kept a strict surveillance on the people who came from foreign travel or from the Tabligi event at Delhi. We disinfected all public places for seven days continuously which contained the spread of the virus. In slums too we sealed the areas and made sure that the essential supply continuous and the main roads in slum area like Jai Bhawani wadi and Kelewadi were also sealed. We will soon supply masks and sanitizers in all houses in our wards.
