Bhubaneswar: The Housing and Urban Development department issued a special directive to all urban local bodies regarding creating awareness on COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) and take necessary preventive measures.
In a letter, Principal Secretary G Mathivathanan urged all Municipal Commissioners and Executive Officers of all urban bodies for maintenance of sanitation in public health domain.
COVID-19 being declared a public health emergency of international concern, Mathivathanan also enlightened the officials how the virus spreads. He further instructed to follow the guidelines and advisory circulated by Health and Family Welfare Department.
The letter asks the field functionaries to be given adequate training on COVID-19 with strengthened surveillance. It asks to create closed space awareness in places with larger footfall and install hand sanitizers in such places. Additionally, audio systems are suggested to be fitted in the garbage collection vehicles to disseminate information relating to novel coronavirus.
It also asks places like markers, bus stands, railways station, taxi stand and other places having higher footfall to be kept clean. Regular coordination between doctors, paramedics and other field functionaries is said to play a large role here. Following instructions in addition to systematic planning and execution can lead to containment of the COVID-19.
