NOIDA: Travelers sitting on the sidewalks, in roadside chairs or in the trunks of their cars, surrounded by policemen and health workers in PPE suits, such were the scenes on Wednesday at the Delhi-Noida border that has had a knack for vomiting unusual sights during the course of the pandemic.
The Noida administration had placed police and health teams at the two border points with the national capital, in DND and Mayur Vihar (Chilla), to carry out rapid random antigen tests on commuters arriving at work, citing the high incidence of Covid cases in Delhi.
Random testing is important to measure the extent of the outbreak. But they should not be coercive in nature while pretending to be voluntary. Voluntary testing must be truly voluntary.
Although the exercise was intended to be voluntary, policemen fanned out across the lanes to call out motorists and “escort” them to health teams for swab testing. Most motorists objected, expressing concerns that ranged from being late to their destinations to compromising social distancing by exiting the secluded space of their cars.
The police also had a hard time. If trying to intercept high-speed traffic wasn’t difficult enough, insults were also thrown their way.
Border testing: cyclists worry about ‘time wasting’
A man in a white Fortuner rolled down his window and yelled “I won’t stop my car for junior level cops.” No barricades were erected due to instructions not to interrupt the flow of traffic, which had become a daily affair earlier this year when Noida sealed its border with Delhi.
While the events of the day, which ended with 165 antigen tests (the target was 200) and three tested positive, including a police officer, led to questions about the effectiveness of the exercise, Noida District Magistrate Suhas LY said that will be discussed. in a meeting.
When asked if the results of the random tests justified the resources deployed, Suhas told TOI: “There is no misuse of resources as only two staff members, a lab technician and a paramedic, are deployed to the unit. random sampling at the two points. Furthermore, in the review meeting with the additional chief secretary (on Wednesday), the government has instructed that we continue this random sampling from November 19 to 30, especially at the border with Delhi, where thousands of people cross. However, we will attend to it according to the results of the campaign in the coming days. ”
On Wednesday, the test exercise began after peak hours. Health teams set up a camp at the borders around 10 a.m. and the police were deployed half an hour later. With the khaki men beckoning them to get off, the motorists slowed down, assuming some sort of check was taking place. But they refused to stop the moment they were told they would have to get tested.
Some got into arguments, others asked the police to let them pass with folded hands. Some said that any move to test more people “is good”, but “busy roads should be avoided for such exercises.”
Indu Shukla, who was on his way to Greater Noida, said that he did not want to be tested because he was “fine” and objected that time was wasting. Danish, a shoe business owner traveling with four family members, including a two-year-old boy, and a driver from Delhi to Agra, pleaded to be allowed to go, saying he needed to get to his hometown quickly, Agra. But the police refused to budge. Later, after discussing the issue, the police asked him to test his driver. “It’s better to just have a heat shield and let people go,” Danish told TOI. Guddu, its driver, underwent a test. “I’m in shape. This is only causing problems for people,” he said.
In the face of resistance from people driving alone in cars, the focus gradually turned to two-wheelers and those traveling in groups in taxis or larger vehicles like SUVs. Sandeep Kumar, who was on his bike, told police that he had recently been tested and was fine when they asked him to go to the camp. The police asked to see the evidence, to which Kumar replied that he does not carry it with him. “Silently park your bike to the side and get tested,” a police officer deployed to the DND border told him. “I was late for work. This is not right, ”Kumar grumbled.
Also on the Chilla border, police officers admitted that it was difficult to stop speeding vehicles and then left it to those who wanted to be tested voluntarily. “We avoid rush hour and since this is an accident-prone area that sees high-speed traffic flow, we only direct passengers to stop. Most did not want to stop because they said they were late for work. Then we limited ourselves to only those travelers who wanted to be tested and did not force anyone, “said a police officer.
Mahendra, a Ghaziabad resident who works with Rail Neer and was heading towards Sector 44 of Noida on his bike, told TOI that while the tests were a welcome step, they should not be done on busy roads. “I took the test and it took about seven minutes. Since the report will take time and I was in a hurry, I said I would pick it up later. They shared a link where I can see my report. I think these tests are best in a place where 40 to 50 people can gather, not on these busy roads, ”he said.
At least six police officers on duty at the Chilla border were tested, one of whom tested positive. The police officer was feeling feverish, a police officer said. Sanjeet Kumar (30), a Ghaziabad resident who was traveling to his office in Sector 4 from Delhi, felt feverish and sleepy. He stopped his car and got tested. “I was feeling bad, so I stopped. The report was negative, ”he said.
A traveler who tested positive at the DND camp told TOI that he had no symptoms. “I couldn’t believe my test report as I have worked almost 10 hours regularly and have no symptoms. I want my family to be tested now, ”he said. A health department official said those who tested positive would be contacted and advised to remain in home isolation. In case his address was in Delhi, they said the Delhi health department would be notified.
(Additional information from Meenakshi Sinha)
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