Earnings for survival meant an occasional plumbing job for Shaiju, until he was chosen as a temporary employee for the upkeep of city Corporation’s aerobic bins, three years ago. After the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, the Health wing officials asked temporary workers like him about their willingness to be part of a team that would carry out burials, disnfection and other activities.
Shaiju and 11 other temporary workers like him were quick to take up the offer. Over the past four months, the team of 12 have buried seven dead bodies, of those who have tested positive for COVID-19, and carried out disinfection in houses and institutions where people tested positive—jobs that involve a certain level of risk.
All of them have been staying together at a nursery school building in Kamaleswaram, ever since the work began, with rare visits to their respective homes to avoid risking the lives of the elderly and babies in their families. The team includes those who used to be gas delivery agents, carpenters, autorickshaw drivers or other daily wage workers.
“It was around the time that we started working in the Corporation that Cyclone Ockhi struck. Back then too, we were involved in carrying the bodies brought from the sea to the ambulance and other work there. We stayed there for several days, with the Health Inspector Sujith too staying with us. When the floods happened, we were part of the Corporation team that went to Chengannur and other places to clean up. So, when COVID-19 happened, the Health Inspectors asked us whether we are ready to do this. We were told to honestly tell them whether we have any fear or concern in doing this work. But seeing their dedication, we were also confident of doing it. They gave us training in handling Personal Protective Equipment, precautions in handling bodies, and in disinfecting houses,” says Shaiju.
Their work these days starts early in the day and can stretch late into the night, or can happen at odd hours, depending on the place to be disinfected. All of them are given their usual daily wage of ₹630, with no extra allowance for the risky work.
“We don’t see this as work but as service. We are just contributing in our own way when the world is facing a crisis. There is nothing to fear once you take all precautions. We have carried out all these burials by following the rights of their respective religions,” says Jayakumar, who used to be an autorickshaw driver.
As senior Health wing officials of the city Corporation attest, the team of 12 has played a key role in civic body’s pandemic response.