Health checkpost at Rajapalayam

17/03/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,VIRUDHUNAGAR

A new health checkpost will start functioning at Rajapalayam for taking up fumigation of vehicles and checking health condition of passengers who enter the district, in the wake of COVID-19 scare.

The check-post will have a medical team and health workers round-the-clock.

“Though Virudhunagar district does not share a territorial border with Kerala, Rajapalayam being a big town, we have planned to spray disinfectant on vehicles. Passengers would be screened by medical teams as a precautionary measure,” said Virudhunagar Collector R. Kannan. All muffosil and town buses would be disinfected after every single trip. A big team of sanitary workers from town panchayats, municipalities and rural areas have been kept ready to take up fumigation, he added.

Isolation wards

The district administration has already geared up to create isolation wards in all the 10 Government hospitals across district. “At least 100 persons could be kept in isolation in the district,” he added.

The Collector, who chaired a meeting with health officials in the evening, said that the Block Medical Officers have been asked to provide right treatment to people complaining of fever. They should be properly screened, he added.

Medical officers and paramedical staff have been advised to take all precautions to avoid bodily contact with patients. They have been asked to wear safety gears like masks and gloves. “The hospitals have adequate stocks of sanitiser, drugs and disinfectant,” Mr. Kannan said.

Medical teams would create awareness on how COVID-19 could spread and the measures to prevent its spreading, he added.

Meanwhile, the first patient with fever has been admitted to the Government hospital at Srivilliputtur. “Since the patient had come from Kerala, she has been kept in isolation and under observation. There is no need for any panic,” the Collector said.

The Collector’s instructions on declaring holidays for schools and colleges would be intimated to all educational institutions.

“We have already closed the anganwadis, along with the primary schools, in the district,” he added.

While the hotels in the district have been asked to stop fresh bookings, the Collector said that local health officials should be intimated if any guests are being provided accommodation.

The district police have been asked to not give permission for any procession or public meetings as a precautionary measure. The Collector also appealed to the people to avoid unnecessary gatherings as a precautionary measure.