VIJAYAWADA: Even as the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation is planning to raise awareness on the standard operating procedure among people living in apartment complexes, residential welfare associations have started testing owners and occupants of flats to ensure that there are no Covid-19 cases among them.
According to VMC officials, the city is home to 500 apartments, many of which began procuring essential commodities in bulk and made provision for doorstep delivery of goods in April.
One of the largest apartments in the city at Ayodhya Nagar, which has close to 180 flats, recently arranged for sample testing of all its residents, seven of whom tested positive. “Ever since a pandemic began, we imposed restrictions on the entry of outsiders, including servants and people supplying milk, mineral water, LPG cylinders and newspapers,” said the president of the apartment’s welfare committee V Sravan Kumar. The seven people who got infected are below 60 years of age and in home isolation; they are being supplied essentials and the block has been disinfected, he added.
“As some residents are asymptomatic patients, all others have been asked to inform the committee if they are showing any symptoms of COVID . In such a case, the committee will make arrangements for home isolation of the persons concerned,” the secretary of an apartment in Ayyappa Nagar said.
“As apartments and group houses have common access areas, there are chances that virus may spread if a resident is infected. So we have strongly advised all residential welfare associations to sanitise buildings and surroundings with sodium hypochlorite solution and clean the premises twice a day,” said municipal corporation AMOH R Venkataramana.
He advised the residents to avoid elevators, stay indoors and wear mask at all times to keep Covid at bay. “Steps are being taken to collect samples from them at their buildings, apart from sensitising them about the SOP that needs to be followed in the wake of Covid-19.