Data shows corona spared city’s slum-dwellers

Varanasi: Slums in the city where most of the sanitary workers — the frontline corona warriors — dwell, have so far proved to be safer in terms of virus spread as compared to most of the clean, posh and all other localities.
Not only the claims of Varanasi Municipal Corporation, but even the data of Covid-19 positive cases, fatalities and hotspots prove this fact.
Municipal commissioner Gaurang Rathi said, “Till August 16, the number of hotspot areas in Varanasi was 1,214, of which only two are slums. Parts of Konia and Bheem Nagar Malin Bastis (slums) had been declared as hotspots in the past few months when five slum-dwellers tested positive. Among these five, only one was sanitary staff while others were in different professions and all have been cured.”
Most of the dwellers in city.s 210 slums remained safe at a time when district’s Covid-19 tally has gone above 5,400. Rathi said of the 210 slums, 158 house major population of sanitary staff . Since the beginning of Covid menace, VMC ensured repeated sanitisation of these areas and also carried out awareness campaigns and distribution of precautionary articles including mobile hand wash facility.
Direct bank transfer facility was ensured for them for disbursing salaries and other financial helps while mobile ATMs were placed near their localities to avoid gatherings in banks, he said adding, 500 self -help groups were formed to generate employment among slum-dwellers, who manufactured PPE kits, face shields, sanitary pads and also masks.