Migrants’ quarantine centres set to return as Covid surges in hinterland

RANCHI: With inadequate scanning and testing at transit points leading to spread of Covid in rural areas, more than 4,000 panchayats across the state will again set up quarantine centres to keep a tab on the continued influx of migrants from other states.
Despite the state under a partial lockdown since April 22, there has been no decline in daily cases of infections and fatalities, prompting the state government to consider revisiting its earlier method of installing quarantine centres at grassroot levels for early detection, testing and segregation of infected persons to break the chain of transmission.
Officials of the Panchayati Raj department, which functions under the state rural development department, on Tuesday informed chief minister Hemant Soren about the plan during a virtual review meeting he held with all departments to take stock of the Covid and devise strategies to step up government deliveries to assist lives and livelihoods.
The whole of April— the first month of the new fiscal year — the state government remained busy tackling the second wave of the pandemic, which has turned out to be more lethal both in terms of new cases and casualties.
With the pandemic still raging in May, the state government has now been forced to redraw its strategies to realign its policies, fiscal considerations and finances to prevent the looming challenges of hunger, employment, social security benefits among others besides boosting the required medical infrastructure on war footing.
Talking to TOI, an official from the panchayati raj department said, “During a meeting of panchayat representatives with the CM last week, many demanded setting up of quarantine centres along with adequate facilities to stop the spread of virus into villages. We have begun work in that regard and all districts have been asked to identify areas to set up quarantine centres where incoming person can stay for a considerable time before allowing to go home.”
He added that such centres could also function as an extension of hospitals for asymptomatic patients or with those having very mild symptoms. Hemant has asked the department to ensure proper facilities — mainly of fooding and lodging -- at the centres.
All additional chief secretaries and secretaries of the government departments were present during the virtual meeting. Addressing them, Soren stressed on profiling of covid patients as well as those dying of any ailments in rural areas to be able to get the pattern of infection.
“In urban sprawls, the government is aware about the pattern of infection, age group, social profiles among other parameters, but in rural areas, we are yet to get a clear cut pattern of the spread. Also, authorities must get Covid testing of every deceased’s family members. It is because proper data of infection in rural areas is still not coming to fore,” Soren said,
Adding that he is soon going to set up a dedicated CM cell for Covid-related activities, Soren sought inputs from all departmental heads on ideas before formally rolling it out. “The CM covid cell must be a one-stop centre for all needs related to covid,” he said.
Stressing on the need to prepare policies for the current fiscal, Soren directed every department to do so on priority basis keeping covid-19 situation in mind. “This second wave of pandemic is more than just a virus attack. It is impacting people across different classes. There is a need to relook government policies and plans so that the needy get all kind of social assistance on time besides continuing with the economic development of the state,” he said.
Soren directed the health and social welfare department to explore on expanding the scope of health assistance scheme so that those affected with Covid can get proper health coverage. “The current scheme doesn’t include Covid-19 and which kin of the deceased may not get social security benefits. There is a need to explore ways so that kin of under-privileged dying of Covid may be connected with various social security schemes,” he advised.