Extensive sampling, contact tracing afoot in Mohali district

Sanjay Bumbroo

Tribune News Service

Mohali, July 18

Taking no chances in view of the recent spike in Covid-19 cases, the rate of sampling has been intensified and extensive contact tracing is afoot by the Mohali administration so as to curtail the spread of the virus.

With the sudden spurt in the Covid-19 cases, the administration sought more employees from other departments to serve as support staff to strengthen the control room and record the date of inbound travellers.

Deputy Commissioner Girish Dayalan said: “We have seen a surge in the coronavirus cases in the past two weeks. So, we felt the need for more support staff. We have increased the workforce and called employees from other departments to serve as support staff to strengthen the control room and record the data of inbound travellers”.

Dayalan said they had ensured that none of the departments could call back employees on its own. They would have to take permission from the Chief Secretary.

Recently, departments such as PUDA, GMADA, MC, Public Health, Education and Excise had called back their employees, who were attached with the Mohali administration as support staff for carrying out day-to-day affairs during the pandemic.

Dayalan said the need of the hour was to identify those persons who were hiding after coming from other districts so that they could be put under isolation or quarantine.

They need to do extensive sampling, especially in areas where a large number of fresh cases were emerging. Door-to-door checking and sampling would be done for which extra support employees were required.

Private hospitals, including Fortis and Max in Mohali, were extending home care plans. Hotels that have made available rooms for self-isolation are Hotel Wood Crest, Zirakpur, JD Residency, Mohali, Rockland, Zirakpur, Black Diamond, Zirakpur, Royal Park, Zirakpur, Arista, Kharar, and Hotel Zodiac, he said.

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