With no let-up in COVID-19 cases, the Pune district administration has set up more than 100 checkpoints to screen those entering and exiting the city and the rural areas.
Besides police personnel and civic body authorities, primary schoolteachers have been deployed at these posts to augment the overstretched frontline workers.
“While some of these checkpoints have been operational for a month, we have increased the numbers to 111 now. The purpose is to man all roads leading in and out of ‘high-risk’ areas in Pune city and the outlying areas in the district. While the police and paramedical staff will take temperatures of every person entering the city, primary schoolteachers will help with data entry,” according to Ayush Prasad, chief executive officer, Pune Zilla Parishad.
The aim, he said, was to conduct a “home survey-like exercise” for the administration to collate precise data on the number of vehicles and persons entering and leaving the district.
“Inter-State vehicles will be registered by this method and the persons referred to home quarantine. Till date, 27,000 vehicles have been registered and one lakh screened. At any given time, around 900 people are deputed at all these checkpoints, equipped with pulse oximeters and thermal guns,” Mr. Prasad said.
At least seven new deaths and 138 new cases were reported in Pune district on Friday, to take the cumulative tally of cases — including deaths and recoveries — to 3,534, and the death toll to 185, of which 169 were from Pune city. However, the recovery rate also continued to increase steadily with 1,886 people Pune division – which includes 1,702 persons from Pune district – being discharged so far, said authorities.
Divisional Commissioner Dr. Deepak Mhaisekar, said 189 people across the division were discharged in the past 24 hours, which includes 170 from Pune district alone.
The total number of cases in Pune division (comprising Pune, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur districts) is now 4,064, of which 1,968 are active cases. 145 of these patients are said to be in a critical condition.Pune city currently has 1,647 active cases.
“In Pune division, Solapur district has recorded 28 new cases to take its tally to 336, while Satara has recorded a total 125 cases with one fresh case today. Sangli and Kolhapur have reported a total 43 and 26 cases respectively with a rise of two new cases in each district on Friday,” Dr. Mhaisekar said.
Along with Pune’s total fatalities, the death toll in Pune division has risen to 210, with Solapur reporting 21 deaths, Satara district recording two, and Kolhapur and Sangli one each.
