Covid-19: In Kalkaji, residents take to social distancing to beat virus fears

Soon after the news broke on Wednesday morning, some anxious residents dialled the police station and the civic authorities. Others rang up the local resident welfare association to find out about the case.

The news of a traffic police personnel testing positive for Covid-19 in their locality had spread like wildfire in south-east Delhi’s Kalkaji Police Colony on Wednesday morning.

Covid-19: Residents have been worried since a traffic policeman tested positive for Covid-19 in the area. Biplov Bhuyan/HT PHOTO (Biplov Bhuyan/HT PHOTO)

Though there was some panic initially, it soon simmered down, with residents of the area thereafter taking extra precautions to adhere to social distancing norms and stricter implementation of the lockdown rules announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month to contain the spread of Covid-19..

Soon after the news broke on Wednesday morning, some anxious residents dialled the police station and the civic authorities. Others rang up the local resident welfare association to find out about the case.

The queries ranged from how far the colony was located from theirs to if the family was still living there to if they could offer any help. Some made requests for spraying disinfectant in the area.

Deepak Dhingra, a social activist and resident of Kalkaji’s K-block, said, “As the news got circulated, I got frantic calls from some residents asking about how far the colony is located from their block. There were many others who suggested that the whole neighbourhood must be sanitised more frequently. We have already requested the civic body to carry out a disinfection drive in all the blocks.”

He added, though the panic eased out by the day, some anxiety remained. After all, the police colony is located just 250 metres away from K block and its surroundings — which include residential blocks A to J, Kalkaji Extension and Giri Nagar, among others. The blocks are a mixed settlement, including both plotted colonies and apartment buildings. Since it is only a partially gated colony, the residents with the help of local police had put up barricades in all areas to restrict entry of outsiders after the lockdown was announced.

“After we got to know of the case in the vicinity, we felt the need to be more vigilant. We decided to shut one gate — to restrict the entry of vendors — that we kept open throughout the day. Now, we open this gate only briefly in the morning for people to go out to buy essentials ,” said Ritu Arora, president, K-block RWA.

Also, residents said that soon after the lockdown, there were concerns about a hospital run by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) located in the middle of their area. Though the hospital was turned into a quarantine facility for Covid-19 patients, it has not received any occupants so far.

“Initially there were some concerns raised by the people, as it was supposed to be a major facility. However, we told them that the area is sanitised regularly. So far there are no patients or any other occupants there,” said Manpreet Kaur Kalka, local councilor.

She added that the municipal ward has at least 20 houses under quarantine in the area, mostly those with travel history. “We have been receiving a lot of requests for spraying disinfectant, which we are routinely doing at houses under quarantine, marketplaces and police station, among others. Also, we have now extended the disinfection drive,” the councilor said.

Medical experts have been urging people not to panic if they have a person testing positive in their neighbourhood or at any nearby quarantine facility. Dr Jugal Kishore, director, professor and head of community medicine at Safdarjung Hospital said, “People living in the vicinity of a quarantine facility or a neighborhood where a person has tested positive need not panic, but must exercise caution as to not come in contact with the infected person or any other objects they may have touched. Residents must maintain the norms of social distancing including wearing protective gear when stepping out.”

Kishore added that 95% people who do get infected recover from it. It is not going to affect those with a good immune system. Panicking or worrying weakens a person’s immunity and hence must be avoided.

In nearby Giri Nagar, barely a kilometre from the Police Colony, there were similar apprehensions. Rajeev Sharma, member, Giri Nagar RWA Federation, said that residents have been following the norms but there is a need to be extra cautious.

The association has issued passes to vegetable vendors and other essential service providers to enter the colony. “Since the case emerged in the police colony, we have put up a notice at the entry gate for vendors to get passes issued . The passes are issued only for a fixed duration of three hours between 8 am and 11am. This is to maintain as much distance as possible,” said Sharma.

He said that though government has made it compulsory for residents to wear masks, when stepping out of their homes, many people were not following the diktat. “There are many who just cover their faces with scarves, which is not enough. We have distributed masks and sanitisers in the area,” said Sharma.

According to locals, the only issue in the area is that people from neighbouring slum clusters at times gather outside on the roads for food distribution. “We have been distributing protective gear and dry ration to residents to help them follow the norms,” said Kamlesh Arora, a resident.

Meanwhile, a senior police officer, who did not wish to be named, said they have issued advisories and got the area sanitised. “The colony has been sanitised. We did get a few calls from people enquiring about the situation. We have requested them to follow all the norms of the lockdown and step out only if absolutely necessary,” the officer said.