ONGOLE: With the admission of a suspected COVID-19 case in Ongole Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) isolation ward recently, district administration is now vigilant tto movement of foreign returnees in the district. The district authorities have issued notices to all foreign returnees and their family members asking them to provide information about their health condition without fail.
Everyone who returned from abroad must undergo 14 days home- isolation period, irrespective of their health conditions to avoid the spread of the virus. If anyone is found suffering from COVID-19 symptoms she/he must inform the same to the district authorities through help desk toll free numbers and get admitted in the hospital isolation ward for immediate medical treatment.
District collector P Bhaskar visited Chirala area hospital on Wednesday and inquired about the COVID-19 precautionary measures. “There are in all nine COVID-19 isolation treatment wards available in the district and people should know about the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak and should take all precautionary measures to avoid it,” the collector said. Meanwhile the health department teams comprising ANMs, ASHA workers are continuing with their house-to-house survey regarding the coronavirus like symptoms.
In this connection, on the orders of district Superintendent of Police (SP) Siddhartha Kaushal, Prakasam police formed a Quick Response Team with 24 special police personnel to prevent the coronavirus from spreading. As part of this measure, District Additional SP (Admin) B Sarath Babu has conducted meeting in Galaxy complex hall to tell about the roles and the responsibilities of this special team to prevent the spread of this deadly virus.
Speaking on the occasion, Sarath Babu said that COVID-19 had spread in 152 countries across the globe and they must take necessary measures to prevent the virus from spreading further within 30 days by avoiding shaking hands, embracing, roaming in crowded areas, distant travelling, keep their surroundings neat and clean, washing hands regularly with soap and wearing masks and gloves. This preventive programme will run with the mutual cooperation and coordination of the district police and district medical and health officers. Any foreign returnee or any person identified with COVID-19 symptoms, must be reported and they must be kept under observation or admitted to isolation wards set up in four government and five private hospitals in the district, the additional SP said.
In this meeting, DSPs, SB Inspectors, Reserve Inspectors, District Medical and Health officers and other staff took part.Speaking on the occasion, SP Siddhartha Kaushal appealed to the public to avail the facility of 24 x 7 help desk, which was established in the district police control room to inform the government about coronavirus infected people’s particulars, which, in turn, played a key role in curbing the spread of the dreadful COVID-19 across the district. “Public may give any information regarding coronavirus by calling police helpline No: 9121102109 or Dial- 100 and District Medical and Health department help desk No: 7729803162 too,” the SP said.