Gurugram focuses on increased awareness, enforcement and testing as cases spike

Due to the surge in Covid-19 infection over last two weeks, the health department, in coordination with the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) and the police

Due to the surge in Covid-19 infection over last two weeks, the health department, in coordination with the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) and the police department, is planning to intensify testing and increase awareness and enforcement drives in the district.

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On Monday, Gurugram reported 398 new infections, after crossing the 500-mark on Sunday. The total tally now stands at 30,925, of which 3,799 are active cases. In the last two weeks, the test positivity rate — the percentage of the total tests that come back positive — has grown exponentially, from 12% to almost 16% on November 2. As reported by HT earlier, the impact of easing curbs can be seen in market places, parks, local buses and wholesale markets, where people are moving around without masks and social distancing norms.

“Health department can only focus on administering tests. An appropriate number of people are being tested. To reach out to more people, the health department is holding over 100 testing camps this week, higher than before. A detailed date-wise plan has been prepared for these camps. Also, containment zones will be increased,” said Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer.

Dr MP Singh, nodal officer for organising testing camps, said that testing camps held under each Urban Primary Health Centre (UPHC) has increased, with nearly 15 camps being held every day. “This time, almost 100 camps are being conducted in high-risk and containment zones, where cases are repeatedly increasing. With the help of RWAs and health workers, people are made aware of these camps. The team mostly administers RT-PCR test based on the symptoms,” said Singh.

Yadav said that it was decided in a meeting of district administration officials that the MCG will continue to focus on awareness campaigns, while the police would focus on enforcement of norms.

Earlier this month, a Covid-19 action team was set up by the MCG to increase the awareness outreach by figuring out various measures to sensitise people with problems related to coronavirus disease. The agency had also issued a letter to residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) for the awareness campaign to combat Covid-19 pandemic. They shared pamphlets mentioning dos and don’ts, along with the important helpline numbers.

SS Rohilla, public relations officer (PRO), MCG, and a member of the action plan, said, “About 50,000 pamphlets have been shared with various RWAs to educate residents. Posters are pasted outside RWA offices. Since October, over 200 hoardings on mask discipline, plasma donation and increasing immunity have been put up at major junctions, crossings, parks and government buildings. Almost 250 Ecogreen vehicles for collecting door-to-door waste are also playing pre-recorded messages in different areas.”

Amit Khatri, deputy commissioner, on Monday, issued a statement asking citizens to take precautions against Covid-19 due to changing weather. “Citizens should be cautious as Covid-19 numbers are not yet down. The district administration with the help of the health department is working on providing facilities like testing in a planned manner. But people should also wear masks, sanitise or wash their hands and maintain social distancing. People should follow these basic precautionary measures, which would be helpful in controlling the spike.”

For the enforcement, Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said that they are increasing vigilance on major roads and crossings. “We will continue to issue challans for mask discipline violation. Our local teams are keeping a check on gathering and visiting market places.”