Port shifts gears with SOP to stop emerging as next industrial Covid-19 cluster in Karnataka

MANGALURU: New Mangalore Port is on the alert to prevent this gateway to Karnataka’s Exim trade emerging as a potential Covid19 cluster. After instances of major industries dotting the state including those in Ballari, Mysuru, Raichur and even locally reporting a spurt of cluster cases, New Mangalore Port Trust since the identification of the first positive case on its premise on July 17 has changed gears with its established SOP to contain the spread.
Attributing the Friday’s case reported in the fire and emergency services department of the port despite following all SOPs strictly to reverse ingress of labour and prevalent community spread in DK district, AV Ramana, chairman, NMPT said subsequent contacts of the infected person were isolated and tested for Covid. With 13 of those primary contacts testing positive, Ramana said all of them have been quarantined including their secondary contacts.
Anticipating the pandemic reaching this stage, Ramana said the port had prepared a business continuity plan in March that covered splitting the workforce into teams and working from different buildings at different locations, exclusive arrangement with private labs for mass testing of field staff. “Due to community spread, the period till August end will be challenging for many staff staying outside Port premises are getting infected,” he said.
Keeping this in mind, the port at its latest board meeting has also decided to allow stevedores to use private cargo handling equipment from open market without depending on the port’s machinery, he said. In addition, the port has also kept its hospital fully geared to act as a Covid care centre to the extent possible by roping in additional doctors on a short contract basis. “We do not want to be found wanting if there is a full blown crisis,” Ramana said.
With monsoon in full vigour, Ramana said there is a social obligation on NMPT to accommodate private fishing trawlers amidst Covid. “We worked out a plan three months in advance and formulated a SOP duly involving fisheries department, Indian Coast Guard and fisherfolk as per which they are regulated through a well-defined system through separate make shift gate with approval from Customs without mixing them with regular Port users,” he said.