Hyderabad sets up shadow teams to monitor returnees for corona disobedience

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will be playing “big brother” as it has been tasked with monitoring “how abouts” of nearly 13,000 individuals, who are residents of Hyderabad but have returned from abroad.

Of the 20,000 international passengers, who have arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport since March 1, 13,000 are from the city, as per data shared by the Immigration Department with GHMC. To keep track of this large number of individuals, the corporation has formed 250 shadowing teams that will monitor whether the foreign returnees are observing home quarantine rules. The civic body has procured indelible-ink based home quarantine stamps to emboss on hands of returnees for spotting them easily.

For effective tracking, the shadow teams include field-level officials from revenue wing including bill collectors and staff from town planning, engineering and sanitation wings who are familiar with the area layout, which is otherwise befuddling in most parts of the city. The shadow personnel will be wearing personal protection equipment as a matter of abundant precaution.

GHMC commissioner D. S. Lokesh Kumar said the corporation’s special teams, in coordination with disaster response teams (DRTs), will make individual visits to check with neighbours of quarantined individuals and inquire if the foreign returnees are following the quarantine protocol. The civic body, on instructions of central and state governments, has published home quarantine protocol in English, Urdu and Telugu, which are handed over to international passengers at the time of their arrival. It is mandatory that individuals receiving them follow the protocol to contain the spread of Covid-19.

The corporation commissioner said if the special teams identify any coronavirus symptoms among the quarantined people, they will immediately shift such individuals to the nearest isolation ward. 108 ambulances with special equipment will be stationed at different locations in the city for the purpose. “For the first home quarantine violation, the shadow team will warn the individual. If the second violation is noted, they would be immediately shifted to the nearest isolation ward,” Lokesh Kumar warned.

At the same time, as and when a coronavirus positive case is reported, GHMC will take up special sanitisation activities in the particular area at regular intervals. The same measures will also be taken at places where public congregate,” the commissioner added.