Nodal officers to keep tab on Covid surge in Bengal

 The sources also said the state government had also laid stress on installing equipment at hospitals on time

In an instruction sent to all the district magistrates in Bengal, chief secretary H.K. Dwivedi made it clear that they should deploy area and facility-wise nodal officers soon.: PTI

Pranesh Sarkar  |  TT  |  Calcutta  | 26.08.21 : The Mamata Banerjee government has asked district magistrates to deploy area-wise and hospital-wise nodal officers to prevent abnormal rise in Covid-19 cases amid apprehensions of the third wave of the pandemic.

In an instruction sent to all the district magistrates in Bengal, chief secretary H.K. Dwivedi made it clear that they should deploy area and facility-wise nodal officers soon.

“This will help the state government get real time figures in case any area is showing abnormal rise in positive cases. The area would be defined by the district authorities while deploying the nodal officers,” said a senior state government official.

Another official said facility-wise deployment of nodal officers was important because that would help know whether people with Covid-19 symptoms were visiting the hospitals. “All these would help in keeping a tab on the positive cases daily. The idea is that in case any area reports higher positive cases for a few days, immediate steps could be initiated,” said a source.

According to sources, the state government has plans that if any nodal officer reports unusual rise in positive cases, the first step would be to isolate the area.

Then, testing and contract tracing would be done in the area. The state may also lay stress on vaccination in the area and it’s surrounding areas to prevent further spread of the virus.

The sources also said the state government had also laid stress on installing equipment at hospitals on time.

“At some hospitals, oxygen supply facilities are being installed and the work has to be completed on time. Certain facilities for children at some hospitals are also being installed considering the warning that children could be affected more if the third wave comes,” said a source.

The state government has recently asked the district magistrates to set up micro-containment zones in case any area reports a number of positive cases.

“All these steps are being initiated to ensure that the state can fight the possible third wave in an effective manner,” said a bureaucrat.