Covid-19: CMCH nasal swab collection centre moved to St Francis School

COIMBATORE: The swab collection centre for RT-PCR tests at Coimbatore Medical College Hospital was shifted to St Francis School located next door to the hospital on Monday to decongest the crowd on the hospital premises.
Parking of both four-wheelers and two-wheelers by visitors has also been shifted out to the Government Arts College located diagonally opposite to the hospital’s back gate. Officials felt that vehicle parking was taking up space that could otherwise be used by patients and attendants to socially distance themselves.
Corporation commissioner Kumaravel Pandian inspected CMCH premises on Monday to see if all Covid-19 precautions were being followed. Once he saw crowding at the RT-PCR swab collection centre and on the way to the Covid-19 ward, he came up with ways to decongest the campus. “There is crowding at the testing centre because there is not enough space for people to wait and distance themselves. The lack of space is because of too many ambulances driving in and piling up at the same drop off point,” said an official.
Since ambulances can’t be avoided, Pandian suggested moving to all visitors’ vehicles, both four and two-wheelers to Government Arts College Road located diagonally opposite to the hospital’s mortuary gate.
The commissioner also visited three electric crematoriums.