CHENNAI: Rajagopal's workday has begun and ended the same way for 10 years. A Domestic Breeding Checker (DBC), he thought retiring without getting sick with dengue was his biggest challenge. Until now.
"Our work usually involves checking for mosquito breeding sites, spraying repellents and telling people to clear stagnant water and other potential mosquito breeding sites," he said. Under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission scheme, the 54-year-old has served the city corporation as a DBC worker for ten years.
On Thursday, however, he was out on the streets at Meenachi Nagar in Pallikaranai, a pen and writing pad in hand, going from door to door, checking for symptoms of the coronavirus.
"You see, if it's dengue, I have a fair idea which areas are dangerous, looking at the stagnant water or sewage nearby. I've even been to houses where there are dengue cases before but I've never been scared," he said.
"Now, we have no clue which house may have the virus and which may not. It's scary because they say I may be able to pass it on to my family too. So, I try not to go near them as much as possible but my wife and son don't listen to me -- they eat with me, my wife washes my clothes," he added.
Their fear lingers despite wearing masks at all times, maintaining a distance at every house and washing their hands regularly. They are provided with masks, gloves and lunches at Amma Unavagams.
While residents quarantine in the comfort of their homes, he and his colleague Sathish (name changed) have to finish surveying 100 houses by the end of the day -- a target assigned to every DBC worker in the city who is surveying symptoms.
The New Indian Express spent a few hours with these men and found it took them an average of 4-5 minutes to survey each house. This means they will finish surveying the targeted 100 houses in around eight hours if they stop to have lunch.
The sun certainly does not help them. In some houses, they are offered water or occasionally juices and biscuits. Rajagopal said others just want to get the survey done as soon as possible so they can retreat into the safety of their houses -- they have no complaints with that.
"We just hope it all gets over quickly. And imagine, we used to think dengue would be our biggest threat. It's a very new experience for us," Rajagopal laughs, turning to Sathish. Tomorrow, they will visit the same 100 houses again.
What's on their list
How many people reside in the building -- male and female?
Are there pregnant women?
Are there infants less than 7 days old?
Are there infants less than a year old?
Are there senior citizens above the age of 60?
Is anyone under home quarantine?
Has anyone been admitted to a hospital for any reason?
Are there residents with diabetes or low/high blood pressure?
Does anyone have fever and/or dry cough and/or respiratory problems?