Risking their lives for greater common good, several frontline workers in GHMC have been diagnosed with COVID-19 while discharging duty in the infected areas.
A predominant majority of these infections are from the entomology wing, workers from which have been on the field since day one, spraying the disinfectant solution.
GHMC top officials informed that a total of 31 persons have so far tested positive for the coronavirus infection. Of them, 21 were entomology field workers — 12 from Kapra Circle and nine from Malkajgiri.
Entomology workers have been engaged in daily spraying of the disinfectant sodium hypochlorite solution across the city, in containment zones, around hospitals and quarantine centres, and in areas where new COVID-19 positive cases have sprung up, besides office buildings whenever a positive case is detected.
Thankfully, none of these workers have displayed any symptoms of the infection, which indicates their enhanced immunity levels. They all have been diagnosed with the virus during the recent tests government has carried out proactively on all the front line workers.
Apart from them, other employees too have tested positive for COVID-19 in headquarters and across the circles. A fresh positive was detected from the IT department on Wednesday, making it the fifth case from the headquarters. Already, two from Mayor’s Peshi, one from the Solid Waste Management wing, and another from Town Planning have tested positive for the virus.
A deputy commissioner from Kukatpally zone too was reported to have tested positive on Wednesday, apart from two tax inspectors. Already, a zonal commissioner is reported to have got the infection. A section officer from LB Nagar zone had been diagnosed previously.
GHMC Commissioner D.S.Lokesh Kumar, through a statement on Wednesday, informed that a total of 2,192 COVID-19 positive patients have been kept in home isolation. Patients without symptoms are being given an option to stay at home, or move to institutional isolation depending on the facilities and vulnerable family members.
Barricading has been removed as the protocol for demarcating containment areas, and instead, the home in question alone is being isolated as COVID-19 zone.