Even as three positive coronavirus cases have been reported from the city and the number of people under quarantine are increasing gradually, the quarantine facilities set up for the suspects are allegedly facing issues related to food and sanitation.
A few pictures of food parcels being given to the people placed under quarantine at Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) surfaced on social media platforms a couple of days ago and the district administration faced criticism for providing food in polythene packets.
On March 23, when Tourism Minister M. Srinivasa Rao visited the quarantine facility at VIMS, a few persons pointed out poor sanitation, especially when it came to maintenance of toilets.
It is learnt that the quarantine facility at the Government Hospital for Chest and Communicable Diseases (GHCCD) has similar issues which were discussed during a review meet conducted by Health Minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas on March 24.
The Minister took a serious note of this and instructed the authorities concerned to initiate immediate measures.
Staff crunch
In response to the issues related to poor sanitation, Joint Collector M. Venugopal Reddy said that many sanitation staff were frightened to attend duties at the quarantine facility at VIMS and at the isolation ward at GHCCD due to coronavirus scare. “We will allay their fears by providing safety gears and explaining them about the situation,” the Joint Collector has assured to the Minister.
According to Mr. Srinivasa Rao, sanitation workers of the GVMC are scared because they are short of masks, hand sanitisers and safety gears. “Several unions of the sanitary workers have complained that the civic officials are not bothered though they work round the clock. The GVMC needs to provide basic facilities to the workers,” the Minister said.
Collector responds
GVMC Commissioner (in-charge) P. Koteswara Rao assured to sort out the issue immediately. “Many sanitation workers are not able to attend duties due to transportation issues. We will sort out the issue by make proper arrangements,” he said.
Responding to the allegations pertaining to poor quality food, Collector V. Vinay Chand said that the packing was bad. “The food quality is really good. It was just about the poor packing. We have already asked the supplier to change the packing procedure immediately,” Mr. Chand said.
