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Several States like Telangana and Odisha have decided to undertake various measures, including a campaign to promote cleanliness, to prevent the spread of novel Coronavirus.
The move comes against the backdrop of the virus spreading in various countries, including India.
Cleanliness drive in Telangana
Telangana Municipal Administration Minister KT Rama Rao requested the Hyderabad Metro Rail and the state Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar to take up cleanliness measures inside Hyderabad Metro trains and state-run Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) buses.
He made the request by referring to media reports that the BMTC (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) issued a circular to depots directing them to maintain cleanliness inside buses. “Request MDs of Hyderabad Metro Rail and L&T Hyderabad Metro Rail to start the same in Hyderabad metro rail immediately,” Rama Rao said in a tweet.
The Hyderabad Metro Rail has initiated different protective measures to prevent the spread of the virus. It said Metro employees have all been made aware of preventive steps to be taken, including hand hygiene and reporting sickness.
Metro stations, trains and touch surface areas, escalators and hand rails would be cleaned with soap and detergents after operational hours.
A 24-year-old man, tested positive for the virus on Monday, is the first person to be tested positive case for the virus from the state. The man from Telangana, a software professional who works in Bengaluru, was in Dubai last month, and worked with people from Hong Kong where he is suspected to have contracted the virus. He had returned to Bengaluru from Dubai and then travelled to Hyderabad in a bus.
The man was being treated in an isolation ward in the state-run hospital. The Telangana government has taken up a process of tracking people (about 88) who came in contact with the techie to ascertain if they have been infected.
Odisha’s ‘to do’ list
he Odisha government has issued a list of dos and dont’s, which asked people to avoid hugging, shaking hands while greeting and keeping their workplace clean to ward off the coronavirus infection.
The state government issued the workplace advisory based on the containment plan prepared by the Health Ministry to tackle the disease.
Asking the employers to ensure workplace cleanliness, it mentioned, “Surfaces (desks and tables) and objects (telephone, keyboards) need to be wiped with disinfectant like 70 per cent alcohol regularly.”
Soaps or sanitizing hand rub should be provided near wash basins and water supply should be ensured as frequent hand washing kills the virus and prevents spread of Covid-19, it said.
Posters should be displayed promoting respiratory hygiene, and tissue papers or masks should be made available to the employees. The staff should be advised home isolation whenever they develop flu like symptoms, it said.
“Please remember simple precautions and planning can make a big difference for containment of Covid-19. So it is right time to prepare and protect all our countrymen,” the advisory said.
Employees should be asked to avoid crowded places like malls, markets, stations unless required, and maintain a safe distance from any person having cough and running nose. The advisory also cautioned employers against sending employees to affected countries, unless it was very urgent.
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