Bhubaneswar: The state government Friday announced undertaking a 45-day special extensive drive to track, test and treat Covid-19 patients from the rural as well as slum areas in cities.
Subroto Bagchi, Chief Spokesperson of government (COVID 19), said that the special drive would focus on screening at every household in rural areas with the help of frontline workers who will roam around panchayats and track suspected cases of the disease.
“It will cover all the households in villages and slum areas in urban areas. In 45 days, ASHA workers will be roped in. The team will reach out to every household to trace people with Covid symptoms. We will also anaylse other co-morbidities,” Bagchi said.
He also added, “Covid symptomatic patients will be taken to dedicated Covid hospitals while symptomatic but negative patients will be sent for home quarantine.”
The official urged the people to cooperate with the government in the drive. Bagchi also said that in urban areas symptomatic persons should go for home quarantine.
“In urban areas, people who get any symptom of Covid-19 should go for home quarantine. Do not hide the symptoms. The government is the best institution to help you in these testing times. We have seen cases where a healthy person has been sent to ICU and ventilator was used within 24 hours.”
Bagchi also said that the government has planned to scale up punishment for Covid-19 rule violations.
“We are now seeing people crowding markets in the evening and also not abiding by social distancing norm. We have planned to take strict action against those who violate the Covid-19 rules.”