Shop only if vendors have this health card

The next time you go out to make any purchase in the city, ask the vendor for the health screening card issued by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. Coming in the wake of increasing number of super spreaders-vegetable vendors and hawkers, grocery store staff, etc- in the city testing positive and the panic it has created among the public, the move is aimed at protecting Amdavadis and enabling them to safely make purchases.

Announcing the launch of Health Screening Card on Monday, municipal commissioner Vijay Nehra said it would be a mandatory document for stores, vegetable vendors, etc who fall in the category of super spreaders. Nehra said, "We have launched an initiative whereby all those falling in the category of super spreaders will be screened and then issued a Health Screening Card. The card will be valid for seven days after which they will have to go for screening again and get a new card."

Only 27 hawkers from the central zone got the cards, while 186 from north-west, 86 from south-west, 30 from north, 165 from south, 645 from east and 270 from west zone got them. In the south-west zone, cards were issued to 25 hawkers in Jodhpur-Satellite area, including Mansi Circle, 30 in Sarkhej, 17 in Vejalpur and 14 in Maktampura.

Store owners in second phase

The hawkers and vendors will be screened for three days, after which people associated with kirana stores, milk vendors and others will be covered in the second phase. He said that those who did not have the cards would not be allowed to carry out their business, adding that the estate department of AMC would conducts checks to find out if the vendors were following the rule.

Nehra said that as many as 11,611 super spreaders have been screened and 2,714 samples have been collected so far, of which 222 tested positive till Monday morning.

Majority of the super spreaders who have tested positive-more than 100-are vegetable vendors. In drive to check if vendors were following rules meant for super spreaders, AMC collected Rs 9.42 lakh on Monday.

Phase 1of screening
On Monday, a total of 1,437 vegetable hawkers were screened, of which 1409 got health screening cards, while the remaining showed signs of ill health and were asked to stay at home.