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NEW DELHI: The Home Office on Friday formed four more Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) to assess the “dire” situation of Covid-19 at emerging hot spots of Ahmedabad and Surat in Gujarat, Hyderabad in Telangana and Chennai in Tamil Nadu. In addition, the IMCT for Mumbai will conduct an on-site assessment for Thane in Maharashtra.
These teams will issue the necessary instructions to state authorities to correct the situation and present their report to the central government “in the broader interest of the general public,” the interior ministry said. Led by additional secretary-level officers and comprised of public health specialists and disaster management experts, IMCTs would use their expertise to augment states’ efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Previously, the Center had established six IMCTs to visit Kolkata and other areas of West Bengal, Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra, Indore in Madhya Pradesh and Jaipur in Rajasthan. The movement behind the removal of the 10 teams, constituted so far, was fueled by reports of blockade violations in these areas, posing a serious health hazard and risk of the virus spreading. Violations include incidents ranging from violence against front-line health professionals, attacks on police personnel, violations of social distancing rules in markets, and opposition to the creation of quarantine centers.
IMCTs are focusing on a variety of issues including compliance and implementation of closure measures according to guidelines issued under the Disaster Management Act of 2005, the supply of essential products, social distancing in the movement of people outside of their homes, the preparation of health infrastructure, hospital facilities, and sample statistics in the district, safety of health professionals, availability of test kits, PPE, masks and other safety equipment, and conditions in relief camps for migrant workers and the poor.
Sharing the comments from the previously assigned IMCTs, MHA Punya officer Salila Srivastava said the Indore team had found the situation in 20 of the 171 containment areas “very critical”. However, contact localization efforts, measures for the safety of health professionals, availability of PPE, test kits and masks, and compliance with the blockade were adequate. During their visit to the Mhow containment area, the team held conversations with the contact detection and tracking teams. He also visited Covid’s quarantine and health centers, PDS stores, and dedicated hospitals. In conversations with all interested parties, the team was informed about the installation of “sauda patra” that allows a farmer to sell wheat in MSP without visiting the mandi. The team also held talks with the prime minister and senior state government officials.
The team that visited Govandi, Wadali and Dharavi in Mumbai reported that since residents used community toilets, they had to leave their homes. The team then recommended placing portable toilets in suitable places. Furthermore, since Dharavi’s situation depended on home quarantine, the institutional quarantine of 2,000-3,000 people was suggested. It was recommended to increase the tests and the number of surveillance teams with the help of local volunteers. The team visited quarantine centers and community kitchens and held conversations with the CM and senior state government officials through video / conferences.
The West Bengal team asked the state government for details of the protocol for declaring the death of a patient with Covid-19. The team reported that the situation at the Bangur hospital was chaotic, with bodies lying on beds in wards, slow tests and few available ventilation beds. The team felt that the state was reaching its maximum testing capacity and sought to know what steps were being taken to increase its capacity from 2,500 to 5,000 per day.
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These teams will issue the necessary instructions to state authorities to correct the situation and present their report to the central government “in the broader interest of the general public,” the interior ministry said. Led by additional secretary-level officers and comprised of public health specialists and disaster management experts, IMCTs would use their expertise to augment states’ efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Previously, the Center had established six IMCTs to visit Kolkata and other areas of West Bengal, Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra, Indore in Madhya Pradesh and Jaipur in Rajasthan. The movement behind the removal of the 10 teams, constituted so far, was fueled by reports of blockade violations in these areas, posing a serious health hazard and risk of the virus spreading. Violations include incidents ranging from violence against front-line health professionals, attacks on police personnel, violations of social distancing rules in markets, and opposition to the creation of quarantine centers.
IMCTs are focusing on a variety of issues including compliance and implementation of closure measures according to guidelines issued under the Disaster Management Act of 2005, the supply of essential products, social distancing in the movement of people outside of their homes, the preparation of health infrastructure, hospital facilities, and sample statistics in the district, safety of health professionals, availability of test kits, PPE, masks and other safety equipment, and conditions in relief camps for migrant workers and the poor.
Sharing the comments from the previously assigned IMCTs, MHA Punya officer Salila Srivastava said the Indore team had found the situation in 20 of the 171 containment areas “very critical”. However, contact localization efforts, measures for the safety of health professionals, availability of PPE, test kits and masks, and compliance with the blockade were adequate. During their visit to the Mhow containment area, the team held conversations with the contact detection and tracking teams. He also visited Covid’s quarantine and health centers, PDS stores, and dedicated hospitals. In conversations with all interested parties, the team was informed about the installation of “sauda patra” that allows a farmer to sell wheat in MSP without visiting the mandi. The team also held talks with the prime minister and senior state government officials.
The team that visited Govandi, Wadali and Dharavi in Mumbai reported that since residents used community toilets, they had to leave their homes. The team then recommended placing portable toilets in suitable places. Furthermore, since Dharavi’s situation depended on home quarantine, the institutional quarantine of 2,000-3,000 people was suggested. It was recommended to increase the tests and the number of surveillance teams with the help of local volunteers. The team visited quarantine centers and community kitchens and held conversations with the CM and senior state government officials through video / conferences.
The West Bengal team asked the state government for details of the protocol for declaring the death of a patient with Covid-19. The team reported that the situation at the Bangur hospital was chaotic, with bodies lying on beds in wards, slow tests and few available ventilation beds. The team felt that the state was reaching its maximum testing capacity and sought to know what steps were being taken to increase its capacity from 2,500 to 5,000 per day.
