Starting Friday, employees of Amma Canteens will start visiting houses as part of COVID-19 containment activities in the city.
At least 5,000 women who have been serving food for the poor, in the last few years, will start visiting houses in neighbourhoods affected by COVID-19.
The women workers of Amma Canteens will generate comprehensive information related to COVID-19 from each household. The data will be used for pandemic response by public health officials.
“The women will do COVID-19 containment-related activities after cooking food in Amma Canteens. We have assured the women that they will get additional pay for the containment work. The women will be provided personal protective equipment,” said an official.
“Senior officials convened a meeting of leaders in Amma Canteens on Thursday and asked us to start work to contain the disease. They did not give us an option. It was an order. We are scared of infecting our family during the course of the work. We were warned that we may lose our jobs if we do not take part in the work on Friday. We have requested senior officials not to send us to high-risk zones,” said a worker from a canteen.
Some canteen workers have already been reporting that they have symptoms of cold and fever. The workers have requested the Corporation to screen them before sending them for COVID-19 containment activities.
As many as 407 Amma Canteens have remained open during the lockdown for providing food for the poor at affordable costs.
In addition to workers of canteens, women members of SHGs in a few zones have been asked to collect data on COVID-19 from the households. “We have also generated a list of unemployed graduates to take part in containment activities. Each graduate will get ₹15,500 a month,” said an official.
