On domestic helps, RWAs overrule Delhi government order

For RWAs, the directive led to queries from society residents on whether they can call their domestic helps back to work.

“Domestic helps here do not come from one particular area, but from places that are around containment zones,” said Dr Naresh Chandra, the secretary of an RWA in East Delhi’s Vasundhara Enclave. “We don’t know who is the carrier and the infection can also spread through asymptomatic persons. So… we decided not to allow helps into the society for at least another week.”

Dr Chandra is also the joint secretary of a forum comprising around 47 residential societies in Vasundhara Enclave, out of which only one or two have allowed the entry of domestic helps, he said.

At South Delhi’s Geetanjali Enclave cooperative residential society, the Aarogya Setu mobile app is a must for domestic helps and drivers. Giriraj Khanna, vice-president of the society, said some of the workers don’t have smartphones. “We have allowed the entry of drivers and helps as required… There will be thermal scans and hand sanitisers at the gate. We have also asked them to install the Aarogya Setu app, so we will know if they are coming from near a containment zone,” Khanna said.

In Vasant Kunj, an affluent South Delhi neighbourhood, some RWAs have opened gates to house helps, while others have decided to hold back and “test the waters” for a few days.

Vernon D’Souza, president of an RWA in Vasant Kunj, said, “We are screening domestic helps and have told residents that it’s their responsibility to find out the areas they are coming from and that they are provided masks. We are providing them masks at the gates if residents do not have them… We have also asked residents who have three-four helps to keep just one.”

In Defence Colony, Major (retd) Ranjit Singh, the RWA president, said, “The RWAs can’t dictate anything… I have sent a circular to residents asking for details of the house helps, how the employer plans to check their temperature daily and if they will give masks and gloves to helps.”

Singh said he will go through each address, and, if the help comes from an area close to a containment zone, or areas such as Nizamuddin and Sangam Vihar, where cases have been reported from, they won’t be allowed to enter for a while.

Rajiv Kakria, RWA member of Greater Kailash-I, said residents have been told “better to wait 10 days before staff (cooks, helps) are allowed inside home”. He said the RWA is not stopping people from asking their helps to return, but “we have asked them to avoid it”.

The Sarvodaya Enclave RWA has sent an advisory saying “entry/exit of nursing staff, private security guards, helps, drivers, plumbers, electricians, carpenters shall only be allowed from May 5 from gate number 3 only”.

In East Delhi’s Krishna Nagar, B S Vohra, president of East Delhi Joint RWA Front, said, “We are entirely against this and have advised residents to refrain from asking helps to return for a few more days.”