CHENNAI: A total of 345 Chennai corporation staff, including officials, have tested positive for Covid-19 so far and among them, around 50 have returned to work, Commissioner G Prakash told reporters on Thursday.
This includes around 120 sanitary workers, among whom 10-15 have recovered and the rest are on their way to recovery, he said. The fact that only 120 of the 20,000-odd conservancy staff have been affected indicates the success of the measures taken by the Corporation, he said.
“They are given disposable masks everyday and gloves once a week for which we also get an acknowledgement from them,” he said. To transport them to their places of work, 95 MTC buses have been plying on 49 routes, he added.
They are also offered two nutritious meals a day along with Kabasura Kudineer to boost immunity. He also said positive cases in slums have come down by 80-90% and interventions like reverse quarantine have been undertaken to contain the number of cases in Kannagi Nagar.
In a day, around 3,500 people with possible symptoms are being identified in door-to-door surveys. In addition, fever clinics have been set up and on Wednesday alone, 38,000 people benefitted, he said.
Responding to questions on fake e-passes, the Commissioner said that the Corporation will not entertain fake e-passes and that those obtaining passes through illegal ways are ‘fooling themselves.’