After sealing off areas in the city that have reported the most cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, staff of Pune Municipal Corporation on Tuesday began a door-to-door survey of homes across the 35 sq km area, from RTO office till Gultekdi, which has seen 60 per cent of COVID-19 cases. A team of health workers will check if any of the surveyed persons has co-morbidities like diabetes and hypertension, if they had contact with an infected patient, and take details of their travel history. Symptomatic persons will be sent to the Sassoon General Hospital for tests and if positive, will be sent to isolation facilities in the city. In a PMC meeting on Tuesday to review the decision to seal off Kondhwa and central parts of the city, it was decided to vigorously disinfect the area, mainly public toilets and lanes. Stringent restrictions have been imposed on the movement of local residents, who can step out only to purchase milk, groceries, LPG and medicines. Only medical and emergency services staff are allowed to enter and leave the sealed off zone. The administration will seek help from social organisations to ensure there is no fear or confusion among local residents of the area. Meanwhile, Pune Zilla Parishad CEO Ayush Prasad, who initiated a door-to-door survey across nine lakh homes in Pune rural areas in a bid to contain the virus, met authorities of Sassoon Hospital and B J Medical College to take a stock of how many swabs can be tested in one day. Dr Ajay Chandanwale, dean of BJ Medical College, said they could scale up testing. The administration wants to ensure zero local transmission and early detection, and that's why the survey was undertaken, said Prasad. "There is an increasing load on Naidu Hospital, which has been sending swabs daily for tests. If one person tests positive, then there are several.close contacts who, as per guidelines, are immediately quarantined either at home or at an institution," said PMC medical chief Dr Ramchandra Hankare.
