Bhubaneswar: The state government has asked the Collectors of 12 districts to ensure close monitoring of the health of people returning from shelters and those engaged in cyclone management as they may develop symptoms for Covid-19, an official said Thursday.
In a letter to the Collectors of Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Mayurbhani, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Puri, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Angul and Khurda, the Health and Family Welfare (H&FW) department said that in a bid to protect people from the fury of cyclone Yaas, the state government has evacuated lakhs of people from vulnerable areas to safety where they stayed in close quarters. This apart, those engaged in evacuation as well as restoration works have also worked in close proximity to others. Hence, chances of their getting infected with novel coronavirus are high, said the department.
“As the families in the shelters are now returning to their homes and the restoration works will be completed very soon, it is important that the persons concerned should be closely monitored for Covid symptoms for at least a few weeks now,” the H&FW department told the Collectors.
The department also asked the Collectors to sensitise the teams engaged in the door-to-door survey to be particularly vigilant while surveying the families returned from the cyclone shelters as well as those engaged in the cyclone management and restoration works. “The personnel engaged in the house-to-house survey need to monitor their own health as well. In case of any symptom, they should be immediately isolated and tested for Covid-19,” said the H&FW department.
According to statistics shared by the Special Relief Commissioner’s office, over 6.5 lakh people have been evacuated to safety, while over 5,000 workers have been engaged in the cyclone restoration as well as relief works.