Vadodara administration cordons off about 600 homes in Nagarwada and Patel Faliya area of the city (Express Photo by Bhupendra Rana)
On a day that Vadodara reported its 10th COVID-19 positive case, after a gap of a week since the last case, authorities decided to prohibit volunteers and police officials from distributing food to needy people during the course of the lockdown to avoid community transmission.
Officer on Special Duty Vinod Rao said that the government will appoint professional agency to distribute the food kits so as to maintain hygiene and social distancing, which is otherwise not possible when done by volunteers though they have good intentions.
The Vadodara police on Sunday also issued a notification and warned people of legal action if found distributing food packets independently. “Any person willing to distribute any food items or essential items to those in need can drop off the items at the Collector’s Office, Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) office, nearby police station or police bhavan, from where the items can be distributed by assigned agencies,” the notification stated.
Rao said general public are disallowed from distributing food and aid to people. “Social distancing becomes a problem in such times and the persons could get infected unknowingly or become carriers of the virus. This also applies to the police personnel who have been giving meals to the needy. People who wish to donate food and essentials can donate in the Chief Minister’s relief and to government agencies. We will appoint professional agencies to undertake the distribution in a hygienic and safe manner,” Rao said.
The decision, Rao said, has been taken as the government is aware that the country has “entered into the stage where COVID-19 cases could see a surge”.
The decision comes after a 54-year-old resident from Nagarwada area of Vadodara tested positive on Sunday morning. He didn’t have any travel history. Local residents said the man has been volunteering in food and grocery distribution since the beginning of the lockout. Rao, who visited Nagarwada to take stock of the situation, has also ordered the entire neighborhood of around 650 households and a population of 3,200 people to be cordoned off and residents disallowed from stepping out of their homes.
“The entire area has now been cordoned off and a containment procedure is under way. Movement in and out is completely restricted and we have started disinfecting the entire neighbourhood as well. Door to door screening is also underway. Nineteen people who were in close contact have been quarantined at our central facility in Ajwa road. The numbers might increase. A team of VMC health officials and Vadodara police is also surveying and screening areas where he had distributed food packets including SSG hospital. The source of infection is still unknown and under investigation,” said VMC commissioner Nalin Upadhayay. While a screening was conducted earlier as well, no person had shown any symptoms, Upadhayay added.
In Vadodara as of Sunday evening, 181 samples were sent for testing of which 10 have tested positive so far. No results are waited. The Vadodara district administration will also shift the COVID-19 isolation ward to the GMERS hospital in Gotri, which has been designated as a special facility for treatment.
“Two new cases admitted to SSG today will be shifted to GMERS. This includes one new case from Vadodara and one from Bodeli in Chhota Udepur,” Rao said.
The tribal district of Chhota Udepur also reported its first positive case with a 60-year-old resident of Bodeli taluka, who attended Nizamuddin Markaz testing positive for the virus. Along with this man, two other residents of Pavi Jetpur in the distict also had attended the Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Delhi.
Chhota Udepur district collector Sujal Mayatara confirmed that the three men had returned from Delhi on March 23 and were in home quarantine since the district officials received a list of their names from corresponding agencies probing the Markaz link to the growing COVID-19 cases.
“The patient tested negative in his first report and the sample was resent to SSG hospital. The reports that came on Sunday morning have confirmed that he is indeed a case of COVID-19. The patient has been shifted to Vadodara’s SSG hospital for treatment. We have home quarantined the family of the patient as well as of the two other men who attended the Tablighi Jamaat. They had returned to Bodeli taluka in the district on March 23. The other two men have tested negative.”