Surveillance system to be set up for Kumbh

HARIDWAR: To ensure that Covid doesn’t spread in the Mahakumbh, a Covid surveillance system and 4,000 isolation beds will be set up for the mega congregation beginning next month.

According to health officials, a dedicated Covid care centre, surveillance system, health equipment and 4000 isolation bed set up will be in place for the mega fair.

Uttarakhand government has allocated ₹ 14.29 crore for the Covid care set up of which the first instalment of 6 crore 94 lakhs has been released.

According to urban development cabinet minister Madan Kaushik, the state government is committed to organise Kumbh with all possible safety measures to check spread of Covid pandemic in the mega fair. “Kumbh notification will be issued by the state government in mid-February and will be of 48 days tenure. Covid pandemic has affected the whole world so is India and Uttarakhand. all preparations and works for Mahakumbh under mela administration are being done on war footing level. Dedicated Covid care system will be in place for Mahakumbh fair,” said Kaushik.

The district administration is also ensuring preparations from its side with doubling of isolation bed numbers to 4000. These isolation beds will be for Mahakumbh tenure and additional health personnel will be deployed there.

Citing the new Covid strain threat, district magistrate C Ravi Shankar said that a database of all the returnees from European countries in particular England in the past fortnight is being compiled.

Twenty-four Covid vaccination storage points have been identified and at block level itself a task force has been formed so that as and when the vaccination starts, its storage, distribution and vaccination can be done effectively.