CHENNAI: With COVID-19 continuing to strike fear into the hearts of city residents, the city's homeless are being found in increased levels of distress since there is no one to spot their condition and report to someone who might help, said organisations working with the homeless population.
NGOs are unable to take them to their shelters, mostly filled with vulnerable sections, for fear of spreading COVID-19, unless they are first tested negative for the virus. At present, there is no protocol in place for what needs to be done when a homeless person is rescued, they say.
The city corporation is also in limbo and despite its preventive efforts, it found 12 people in its Mandaveli shelter tested Covid positive on Sunday. They have been admitted to the Omandurar Medical College Hospital. Officials are still investigating how the infection may have crept inside the shelter, considering no new inmates were brought in from the streets in the last two weeks.
KV Kishore Kumar, Director, The Banyan said, "During normal times, people stop to help (homeless people in distress). Now there is no tendency to do that because of the fear. They don't even get water now."
He recounted an incident last week where a man, aged between 50-55 with a deep surgical cut in his skull, was found in Kotturpuram.
"He was first taken to the Royapettah Government hospital from where he was asked to be taken to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. There, his wounds were dressed but doctors said they couldn't admit him there because he wasn't a COVID patient," he said.
He has now been accommodated alone in a shelter Dooming Kuppam that is not in use presently.
"Our ability to help is now dependent on the availability of a few proactive Government officials," he said.
S Nagarajan, former additional secretary to Government, Health and Family welfare and Alby John, Regional Deputy Commissioner (South), Chennai Corporation were helpful, he added.
Khaalid Ahamed, founder of the Uravugal Trust said that if at all homeless individuals are tested, keeping them safe until the results arrive prove to be a challenge.
"You cannot test them and leave them back on the streets because if you go back once the results come, you may not find them there," he said.
Harilal R, programme manager for The Banyan agrees. "NGOs can't keep them between the time the tests are taken and the results come because they are responsible for the safety of several others. In this case, where do they go?," he asked.
When contacted, Corporation officials said that their own rescues have not been impacted by the COVID containment operations. "Every day we continue to rescue around 40-50 people, mostly from outside hospitals," said an official.
Another senior Corporation official said that NGOs may contact the Corporation's shelter coordinator to arrange tests for homeless individuals.
"In cases where they cannot bring them for testing, we will even go to where they are and collect samples," he said.