Central Team Visits City To Check Steps To Contain Covid-19

The Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) headed by Arun Baroka, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti; and consisting of Dr Chandrasekhar Gadem, Senior Public Health Specialist; Dr Hemalatha, Director, National Institute of Nutrition; S S Thakur, Director, Ministry of Consumer Affairs; and Prof Sekhar Chaturvedi, Associate Professor, National Institute of Diaster Management; visited several places in the city to look at the efforts being taken by government to contain Covid-19.

GHMC Commissioner D S Lokesh Kumar, Hyderabad Collector Swetha Mohanthy, GHMC Additional Commissioners Ravi Kiran and Praveenya, and GHMC Deputy Commissioner Ashok Samarat accompanied the Central team and explained the steps taken up by the government to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

The Central team is on a three-day to the state to study the situation. They visited the Mehdipatnam Rythu Bazar and enquired about sales of essential commodities with the shopkeepers, and also observed the circles drawn to enforce social distancing in front of the vegetable shops.

Khairatabad Zonal Commissioner Praveenya explained to the central team members that 120 mobile vans being manned by SHG women were supplying vegetables and fruits in different parts of the city. The Central team members interacted with some vegetable vendors and enquired about where the vegetables were being brought from to sell in the market. With the support of the marketing department, 3-5 farmers were pooling up to bring vegetables to the city, and the same were being sold in the colonies with marginal profits of Rs 2 to Rs 5, they were told.

The Central team members also expressed satisfaction at the mobile Rythu Bazar rate chart.

Later the Central team visited the quarantine centre at Nature Cure Hospital and interacted with the doctors and medical staff there. Hyderabad district Collector Swetha Mohanthy informed the team members that nutritional diet was being provided to the quarantined persons. The team also inspected the sample testing lab. Aruna Baroka appreciated the doctors, nursing staff and lab technicians for their pro-active involvement to combat the coronavirus.

The team then visited the Malakpet containment zone and observed the barricading. They discussed with the emergency services team and the health team the duties being performed in the containment zone. The officials of the containment zone explained that the public were not allowed on to the roads, and essential commodities for them were being purchased in the nearby supermarkets and delivered to their doorsteps by team members. They also informed that a fever survey was being conducted daily with every house being visited.