The municipalities around the city have joined hands with the district administration in combating the COVID-19 issues arising out of people in home quarantine.
“We are giving house to house notices on the disease and what should be done in case they come in contact with people with travel history and how to be vigilant on keeping hands germ-free in public places,” said Rukiya Jamal, chairperson of Kalamassery Municipality.
“There are 31 under home quarantine in the municipality and for three of them some arrangement of food is being made too. A hand-wash awareness drive has been started at prominent public places in the town. We are also trying to dissuade the use of mask as much as possible as it creates unnecessary burden on waste management. There is no system to collect medical waste from houses,” she said.
In Aluva, municipal chairperson Lissy Abraham said that besides awareness creation at house-to-house level using ASHA workers, government logos and banners on COVID-19 would be displayed at public places. ‘Hand washing to break the chain’ (of germ transmission) is also being publicised, she said.
“We have given a notice to postpone social gatherings in Town Halls and have asked health clubs, parks, libraries and the Vyapari Mela at the Aluva Manappuram to close down to reduce interaction of people. Hotels have also been given directions for safe procedures,” she said.
A team of health workers on the ground level, including Kudumbashree, Anganwadi and ASHA workers, in coordination with the Health Department, is taking care of about 32 people in home quarantine in Thripunithura municipality. Except for one incident at Irimpanam where the neighbours made an issue of a woman who had returned from Pathanamthitta, there have been no other issues. Lack of awareness among people is the root cause of any such trouble, said a health worker.
The Ernakulam District Panchayat president Dolly Kuriakose said that panchayats had been given instructions on using their own fund or Plan fund for COVID-19 awareness. A meeting of representatives of 27 divisions of the district panchayat along with the Health officials would be held on Wednesday, she added.
