Even as the COVID-19 infection has now spread to the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) with one of its employees testing positive, all pourakarmikas falling in high-risk groups will undergo testing and a facility quarantine has been identified for housing them until the lab results come out.
The decision to test pourakarmikas above 50 years of age was taken as they are the frontline workers and are at risk of contracting the infection with some of them working in the containment zones, visiting households for collecting solid waste.
Concerned over the pourakarmikas’ health with cases spreading fast in Mysuru, the civic workers, who worked even during the protracted lockdown, have been told to go through the test.
The MCC office building on New Sayyaji Rao Road here was sealed on Tuesday after the employee from the health department tested positive. As many as 18 primary contacts of the infected employee had been placed in home quarantine and their swab samples had been sent for testing. The results are expected by Wednesday.
Commissioner in quarantine
MCC Commissioner Gurudatta Hegde, who had also come in contact with the infected employee, has gone into self-quarantine and his lab report was awaited.
It is unclear whether the MCC office will be open for the public on Wednesday though the entire premises was sanitised on Tuesday following the case. The sealdown may be extended for one more day as a precautionary measure.
MCC Health Officer D.G. Nagaraj told The Hindu that the primary contacts of the patient had been identified and their swab tests had been done. Other than the MCC staff, if there is anybody who has come in contact with the employee in the last few days, they are advised to undergo the test.
“So far, the pourakarmikas posted at the containment zones had tested negative. The reports on the health inspectors’ samples have come negative,” the health officer said.
“The pourakarmikas with co-morbidities and above 50 years of age are being identified for the testing which is expected to start from Wednesday. Such civic workers will be in quarantine until their lab results. We have kept the facility quarantine for them ready,” Dr. Nagaraj said.