Institutional quarantine centres for migrants in Dhanbad

DHANBAD: District Disaster Management (DDM) on Thursday directed all circle officers (COs) to set up two institutional quarantine centres with full facilities each in all 10 blocks of the district in order to house migrant labourers arriving from different states during the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic.

Currently, migrant labourers are being sent home after taking their samples at railway stations or bus stands and only the ones who test positive are being detained.

Deputy commissioner (DC) and DDM chairman Umashankar Singh said that as per directive of State Disaster Management Department, all migrant labourers will be kept in institutional quarantine centres and will have to undergo Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) for Coronavirus.

“Even if a migrant labourer tests negative, he or she will be kept at the centre for seven days, after which they will be screened again. If test report comes negative again, the person will be sent home duly. But in case of a positive test report, the person will be sent to the hospital for treatment under Covid protocol”, said DC Singh.

The DC also added the COs have been directed to set up centres with all facilities like Covid testing, food, beds, water, continuous supply of power and other basic amenities 24x7.

Meanwhile, two senior professors of Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) medicine department have been deployed at Sadar Hospital for a period of two hours each in order to provide expert doctor’s treatment to ICU and non-ICU Covid patients, stated DC Singh.

Singh said that Dr NK Modi will be available from 11am to 1pm while Dr Mk Dubey will in the hospital between 9pm to 11pm.