CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has asked the district collectors to urgently take a set of preventive measures in wake of 30 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in different parts of the country.
In a letter to the district collectors, Chief Secretary K Shanmugam has asked the collectors to immediately convene a meeting with all private and government doctors.
“They should be thoroughly oriented on containment plan for COVID-19 which includes case definitions, laboratory protocols, case transport guidelines, preventive measures including hospital and ambulance disinfection protocols, case management protocols and travel advisories,” the letter read.
Some other preventive steps listed out in the letter are: ensuring wide availability of hand sanitisers in all government and private hospitals, hotels, shopping malls, cinema theatres, marriage halls, schools, colleges and other places; formation of district-level coordination committees for creating awareness about the preventive measures; setting up of Coronavirus awareness booth in all hospitals, government offices, exhibitions, collectorate and other public places.
“Hands of all patients, attenders, staff of the hospitals entering into any health facility should be sanitised with hand sanitiser with at least 70 per cent alcohol. Similarly, the hands of anyone leaving the health facility should be sanitised,” Shanmugam said.
The Chief Secretary directed that awareness programmes on preventive measures should focus on respiratory hygiene, hand hygiene, surface cleaning with one percent hypochlorite solution or five percent lysol where hands are frequently touched. These programmes should be conducted in all schools, colleges, government and private establishments like offices, industries, hotels, shopping malls, cinema theatres etc., NGOs and women Self Help Groups should be involved.
Pamphlets should be distributed widely.
The letter also directed that isolation facility should be made available in all district headquarters hospitals, medical college hospitals and major private hospitals. The Chief Secretary also underscored the importance of creating awareness at the village level about the preventive measures, cleaning practices and home quarantine guidelines.
He also requested the collectors to personally involve themselves in organising the preventive and control measures besides reviewing the activities on a daily basis.
A district-level coordination committee meeting involving local bodies, school education, higher education, ICDA, Police and Revenue officials should be held. Other stakeholders including central government establishments like Railways, Airports, Seaports, Defence should be involved in these meetings for organising preventive measures like awareness generation, hospital preparedness, respiratory hygiene, hand hygiene and surface cleaning practices.