When warnings, barricading and awareness programmes fail to make citizens understand how crucial it is to practice social distancing at a time when the whole country is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, technology might come in handy for the authorities.
On Monday, the district authorities in Uttara Kannada decided to use drone cameras to quickly identify places where people are congregating. Superintendent of Police Shivaprakash Devaraj came up with the idea, and on the first day of surveillance a bunch of youngsters were caught playing at Kotekere in Sirsi. They were admonished and sent home after being given a strong warning.
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Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner K. Harish Kumar said that a helpline for Bhatkal taluk has been set up to address grievances related to COVID-19. In a release, he said that already a concept note had been prepared and, under Assistant Commissioner Bharat, a test run completed. Feedback and real-time access are among the important features of the helpline, he said.
Uttara Kannada has also come up with the concept of doorstep healthcare in Bhatkal cluster, where a health emergency has been declared. Under the initiative, being implemented on a pilot basis in Bhatkal, patients are required to call designated doctors and inform them about their problems. Consequently, the doctor on duty on that day will visit the household and give medical advice to the patient. The Deputy Commissioner said the authorities plan to implement this initiative across the district based on the response from the public.
All the COVID-19 patients kept at INHS Patanjali in Karwar are in satisfactory condition, according to the health bulletin issued by the district administration.
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