Stay back in Delhi, doctors from Gzb told

Aditya Dev | TNN | May 4, 2020, 07:55 IST

Ghaziabad: In an appeal to doctors and paramedical staff who reside in Ghaziabad but work in Delhi, the district administration has asked them to stay back in the national capital after duty hours and avoid travelling between the two cities. District magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey also said that talks are on with the Delhi government and hospitals for the necessary arrangements.
A comparative study of the number of Covid-19 positive cases revealed that Ghaziabad recorded 27 cases in the first phase (March 22 to April 14) of the lockdown and the number rose by 18% to 44 in the second phase (April 15 to April 30).
The DM said, only 21% of the 44 cases are Ghaziabad residents while 48% are related to people who attended a congregation (Tablighi Jamaat) and 20% are those who went to Delhi. The remaining 11% is related to people who went to Noida. Pandey added that staying in the orange zone is a bigger challenge. “The reason is that three cities, including Gautam Budh Nagar, Meerut and Delhi, are in the red zone while Hapur and Baghpat are in the orange zone. There is a lot of inter-district movement happening on a daily basis.”
“The doctors who go from Ghaziabad to various hospitals in Delhi are more likely to contract Covid-19. Therefore, we have appealed to all the resident welfare associations (RWAs) of the district to advise such doctors to stay back in Delhi. The hospitals have also been advised to provide the required facilities to them. Moreover, a similar arrangement should be made for the paramedical staff as well,” the DM said.
He also directed the private hospitals and labs in Delhi to follow protocol involving Covid-19 patients. “In some cases, it was found that people who had gone to Delhi hospitals for some other treatment got infected with Covid-19. Such patients should be given treatment at Covid hospitals and it is not appropriate to send them to Ghaziabad without any protocol,” the DM said.
“Many people of Ghaziabad got their test done from private labs in Delhi. When the test reports came positive, the concerned labs handed over the reports to the patients and sent them back. This practice is wrong,” Pandey said. The DM had banned inter-district movement (except essential goods, authorised pass holders and for emergencies) on April 26.
Alok Kumar, the founder of Federation of Apartment Owners’ Association, said: “The doctors are our frontline warriors who are also concerned about their families. They should be provided with the best accommodation in hotels in Delhi where all facilities are available. Otherwise, it would not be possible for them to stay in Delhi.”