THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state is heading towards an automatic lockdown if the current test positivity rate in the state, especially in migrant camps, is any indication. Though the state has not officially released the test positivity rate (TPR) in migrant camps in the state, officials close to the system said the TPR in migrant camps is almost double that of the state average.
The fact is that migrant camps are sitting on a ticking time bomb as there was no proper close monitoring by local authorities and scant attention has been paid to them in various places.Sources in the state government said the TPR in migrant camps is almost double that of the state and the testing in migrant camps is relatively low when compared to the general testing in other key areas in the state.
Commenting on this, Akhil Xavier Manuel, District Migrant Nodal Medical Officer, National Health Mission, Ernakulam, which has the highest concentration of migrant labourers in the state, said “the high TPR in migrant camps is expected and we are doing our level best to create awareness among them in order to not put enormous pressure on the health system, which is at present handling the situation without major glitches,” he said.
Benoy Peter, executive director of Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development (CMID), said “the state will face an automatic lockdown if the crisis in migrant camps is not effectively managed by the state. Though a good number of migrant labourers returned to their home states in the wake of the first lockdown, almost 75 per cent of them returned here post lockdown. Further, a good number of fresh migrants have also reached here due to poor economic situation prevailing in their states when the borders were reopened.
Though the first wave of Corona has not caused major health issues for them, the second wave is affecting them very badly which is a cause for concern,” he said.The migrants, especially footloose workers, live in dingy rooms beyond their capacity with common toilets. In addition, there is no facility for them to go under quarantine if they develop symptoms or turn positive for the virus.
Even some private parties are charging Rs 15,000 for providing quarantine facilities for them which is simply unaffordable for migrants. As a result, the spreading rate among migrants would be beyond imagination in the coming days. And obviously, if the state government does not declare a lockdown, the companies will have to face a situation of an automatic lockdown when labourers test positive for the virus en masse,” he said.
Social media to sensitise migrants
Though Labour Commissioner S Chithra denied the high TPR in labour camps, she said the state government has decided to open Covid First-Line Treatment Centres (CFLTCs) exclusively to cater to migrants in the state. In the first phase, CFLTCs will be opened in Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam districts. Further, call centres and control rooms have been opened at Labour Commissionerate and 14 district headquarters in order to address the issues of migrants. Messages, posters and audio clips will be circulated among them through social media to sensitise them,” she said. The department has also approached the Railways to start facilitation centres in railway stations. Migrants in distress will be assisted in their native languages like Assamese, Odiya, Bengali and Hindi at the call centres. Labour officers have been directed to help the migrant labourers to get vaccinated. Monitoring cells will be formed at the district and local body level as part of strengthening Covid control measures. Steps would be taken to provide wages of labourers placed in quarantine, she added.
