High alert sounded on Saturday at Thatichetlapalem and Poorna Market areas in the city after a number of COVID-19 cases have been reported from these areas over the last two days. Hundreds of surveillance teams conducted door-to-door survey to identify if any residents are suffering from COVID-19 symptoms in both the areas, while sanitation staff were seen busy conducting spraying operations on a massive scale on Saturday.
It may be recalled that three persons from one family at Thatichetlapalem and another five persons from Muslim Thatichetlapalem tested positive for COVID-19. Apart from them, one COVID-19 positive case was also reported from Poorna Market area in One Town.
Contacts and sanitisation
According to Sub-Collector, Paderu, S. Venkateswar, who is monitoring cluster containment committee and quarantines, 1,178 teams comprising ward volunteers, health officials, ASHA workers and others have conducted survey in over 1.93 lakh households in Thatichetlapalem area.
Similarly, 363 teams conducted survey in 1.29 lakh households in Poorna Market area.
The teams have asked people not to come out of houses unless it is an emergency. If any person is found with any health issues, he will be put under scanner and his health condition will be monitored constantly. The teams have asked the residents to inform them in case if they suffer from any health issues. Moreover, residents of a few streets have isolated themselves by placing wooden logs at the entry and exit points.
Mr. Venkateswar also said that primary and secondary contacts of all the COVID-19 cases have been identified. While the primary contacts or direct contacts have been shifted to isolation wards at Government Hospital for Chest and Communicable Diseases (GHCCD), secondary contacts or indirect contacts were advised to stay strictly under home quarantine. “In these cases, the samples of all the primary contacts have been sent for testing and we are awaiting reports. Secondary contacts like maid, driver, neighbours, their contacts have been asked to stay in house,” he said.
‘Need not panic’
He also said that people need not panic over the situation, as officials are constantly monitoring to make sure that there is no spread of COVID-19. The three-km radius containment area from the house of positive cases have been completely sanitised by spraying sodium hypochlorite solution for disinfection, he added.
