Considering the spurt in COVID-19 cases through local contact, the authorities here have launched an antigen testing drive in the district. According to officials, tests were done on 50 persons, including pregnant women and children, from two wards of Chirakkadavu grama panchayat on Thursday. None of them tested positive.
A similar drive will be taken up in Pallikkathodu grama panchayat. The two local bodies have reported a few COVID-19 cases which are believed to have been contracted through local contact.
Meanwhile, the District Disaster Management Authority has come up with a slew of measures, including strengthening surveillance of those in quarantine, to combat the spread of the viral infection.
As part of it, ward-level committees have been directed to enhance surveillance of people in quarantine and those returning home after recovering from the infection and ensure that they strictly adhere to the guidelines issued by the health authorities.
In markets
The local bodies, on the other hand, are required to make sure that traders and loaders in markets under their jurisdictions do not come into close contact with truck crew from other States.
Besides the local bodies, the police and Revenue Departments too have been directed to carry out inspections in the markets on a regular basis. At the same time, teams headed by tahsildars will prepare the standard operating protocols for each market by taking into consideration the prevailing conditions in the respective locations.
Meanwhile, special restrictions will be in place in fish markets where physical-distancing norms often go for a toss. Directions in this regard have already been given to secretaries of the three municipalities and four panchayats that host the major fish markets in Kottayam.
Crowd control
According to officials, crowd control measures for the fish markets will take a cue from the arrangements in place at the Kolothumkadavu fish market, implemented by the Vaikom municipality in association with the local police.
Further, steps are in place to open COVID first-line treatment centres (CFLTC) in all blocks to accommodate patients who are asymptomatic or have only mild symptoms. Currently, patients have been admitted to the CFLTCs opened in the new block of the Pala General Hospital, Government Working Women’s Hostel at Muttambalam and K.R. Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts at Uzhavoor.
Primary care centres
The authorities have also identified several institutions across the district for opening primary care centres for COVID-19 patients.
Directions had been issued for setting up separate care centres for patients suffering from mental illness, said District Collector M. Anjana.