To curb Covid spread, Gurgaon admin lists out steps to RWAs

Maintaining a record of visitors, extending “proactive help” to senior citizens, and “encouraging” residents to stay at home are among the “pre-emptive” measures that Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and facility managers of condominiums and gated colonies in Gurgaon will now be expected to adopt to help curb the spread of Covid-19. The city’s deputy commissioner has issued an order to this effect and similar directives have also gone out for malls, market complexes, hotels and banquet halls.

In the order issued for RWAs and facility managers, Deputy Commissioner Yash Garg has directed that, apart from ensuring that masks are worn by residents, sanitising common areas “on a 2-hourly basis”, promoting use of Aarogya Setu app and installing “Handwash facility at entrance”, they must also maintain a record of visitors at the entry and exit gate and “encourage” residents to stay at home, to the extent possible.

“Avoid conducting festivals, meetings, get – togethers inside the apartment community. Private functions should also be discouraged,” the order states.

“To reduce the number of outsiders” entering gated complexes, the DC has further directed that “deliveries should be kept at the gate” and residents must collect these from the entry gate itself. Apart from regulating movement, the order also directs RWAs to extend “proactive help” to senior citizens.

“Check if there are homes where senior citizens live by themselves. Since they are in the high-risk group, they should not venture outside. A volunteer group may be created to purchase essentials for them,” the order states.

Further, the RWAs and facility managers have also been directed to help spread awareness by holding “sensitisation programmes” for staff, circulating announcements and orders issued by the government among residents and also passing around “notices” that have addresses and contact numbers of medical centres where testing is being done and isolation beds are available. They have also been directed to “form an emergency response team with residents who are doctors and paramedic staff in case anybody needs medical help”.

The order also directs residents, who have “recently travelled abroad”, to “declare” the same to the RWA office and self-quarantine for two weeks.

Similar orders have been issued for hotels, banquet halls and marriage places in Gurgaon as well as malls, shopping complexes and commercial establishments. These direct such establishments to follow the basic Covid protocol, such as to ensure masks are worn, promote use of Aarogya Setu app, hold “sensitization programme” for all staff, sanitizing common areas and placing hand wash facility or sanitizers at the entrance or reception. It also adds that they must “make announcements at regular intervals through public address systems on various safety measures”, including social distancing and covering of face.

For hotels, banquet halls and marriage places, the deputy commissioner has further directed them to share their “Booking Calendar” with the authorities.

“Booking Calendar for marriages/social events for the next two months i.e. April and May 2021 be shared with the concerned Joint Commissioner, MCG and local SHO.” the order states.

All three of the orders stated that “strict compliance” of the directions should be ensured. Failing this, in the case of RWAs and facility managers, action will be taken against the “Governing Body/Office Bearers of the RWA”, while in the case of hotels, banquet and wedding halls, as well as malls, shopping complexes and commercial establishments, action will be taken against the “Owners/Management of the concerned establishment”, the orders warned.

Gurgaon has recently been seeing a surge in Covid cases, with the number of active cases in the district crossing 3,500 on Tuesday evening and the positivity rate jumping to 7.95 per cent. The DC had, on Monday, issued directions restricting the number of people allowed in gatherings in the district.