GHAZIABAD/NOIDA: What happened for a day in Noida last week – vehicles being randomly stopped at the
border and occupants being asked to take a Covid
test – is likely to become the norm for the next few days at all UP-Delhi borders, starting Wednesday.
The Noida and Ghaziabad and administrations will set up kiosks at the borders to conduct rapid antigen tests on commuters entering either city from Delhi after the state government ordered
random screenings in the wake of the surge in cases in the capital. Officials said police will also be deployed to help health department teams go about the job. They emphasised the tests would be voluntary, but on the evidence of what unfolded at the DND border on November 18, the ‘voluntary’ tests ended up as cases of police stopping commuters and directing or escorting them to the test camps.
The effect on traffic remains a concern – there was no disruption on November 18 other than for those who were stopped.
Ghaziabad district magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey said, “We will set up camps in border areas like Indirapuram, Kaushambi, Vasundhara and Vaishali from where movement to Delhi is maximum. The tests will be voluntary, but the focus will be on testing people with symptoms like cold and cough. Police teams will also be present for management and checks for masks. The plan will be implemented from Wednesday.”
The state government, which began the random testing exercise in Noida last week itself, has also asked the health department to conduct tests at bus stands and railway stations. Ghaziabad junction is among the busiest railway stations.
Health department officials said three dedicated teams had been formed in either city to carry out random sampling with rapid antigen test kits. These teams will be on the move. A senior officer in the health department who is overseeing the random sampling exercise told TOI some vehicles have to be stopped. “At times, some people offer resistance. But then, health teams are able to convince such individuals by telling them there is no harm in getting tested for free.”
Noida has targeted a minimum 100 tests per day in the random sampling exercise. “We inform authorities in Delhi if a person testing positive is from there. If the person is a Noida resident, the integrated control room is alerted and details are passed on to the team assessing the medical condition of individuals who test positive. Similarly, authorities in other parts of Uttar Pradesh or other states are informed if a resident of another place is found to have Covid,” the officer said.
UP’s minister of state for health Atul Garg, meanwhile, blamed Delhi for the spike in
Covid cases in Ghaziabad and Noida and urged the Delhi CM to speak to Yogi Adityanath for any assistance in dealing with the Covid surge. Garg said load on hospitals in NCR too had increased because of the surge in Delhi cases.
Additional chief secretary (medical and health) Amit Mohan Prasad said, “Preventive steps will be taken to arrest rise of case burden in UP.” Sources said the state government was considering the option of quarantining infected passengers at hospitals of districts where they tested positive. “The district administration will take a call on quarantining those who show Covid symptoms,” Prasad said.
Sources said the state government was also considering fresh guidelines and stricter enforcement mechanisms, including heavy fines for not wearing masks, besides exhorting people to maintain social distancing to contain the spread of the pandemic. Additional chief secretary (information) Navneet Sehgal said the quantum of testing will be increased in the days to come.
(Additional reporting by Pankaj Shah in Lucknow)