BHUBANESWAR: While cases are rapidly rising in the state capital, BMC on Saturday added six more Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) to its contact tracing unit for immediate tracking of persons having link with positive patients.
Bhubaneswar COVID observer Anu Garg said while nine RRTs had been engaged for contact tracing in the BMC jurisdiction earlier, six more teams were added. With cases piling up each day, Garg said testing, community involvement, slum management, date collection and enforce measurement have been intensified.
BMC Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary said the civic body is encouraging home isolation of asymptomatic cases. The civic body, in the last 10 days, has allowed 167 COVID-19 patients to stay in home isolation.
Chaudhary said apart from increasing bed strength at hospitals by 850, the civic body has decided to set up 60-bed COVID Care Centre (CCC) in Dumduma. Corporate houses and industries were approached to help set up 250 bed CCCs, while various NGOs have expressed willingness to establish 100 bed COVID Care Homes (CCHs),” he said and added that four Resident Welfare Assocaitions including Vipul Garden Ghatikia, BMC Bhavani Enclave and Utkal Royal Residency have expressed interest in setting up 25 bed CCHs.
Religious institutions like Gurdwara, Christian association and Muslim associations have come forward and agreed to set up 200 bed CCHs in the city. As many as 114 frontline workers, including doctors, nurses, ASHA workers, anganwadi workers and sanitary staff have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Capital City till date.