Gzb embarks on mission to purge Raj Nagar Extn of killer virus
GHAZIABAD: The health officials of Ghaziabad embarked on a mammoth task Friday — the complete sanitisation of an area within a 3km radius in Raj Nagar Extension, a thickly populated residential area in the heart of the city.
The health officials, along with officials from the World Health Organisation (WHO), Friday took up ‘cluster containment’ measures in Raj Nagar Extension after two residents of the locality tested positive for novel coronavirus (Covid-19) infection.
Officials said the sanitising exercise was carried out in order to protect the other residents from the infection.
The Ghaziabad district has, so far, two Covid-19 positive patients. One is a 57-year-old businessman who was found positive on March 5 and had a travel history from Tehran, Iran. On March 12, his 27-year-old son, was also confirmed as having Covid-19. He, however, showed no symptoms of the disease.
“The cluster containment exercise was carried out in a 3km radius of the area where the two positive patients live. There, sanitisation exercise was done with the help of a mixture of hypochlorite solution. We created a buffer area and then carried out the sanitisation,” Dr NK Gupta, chief medical officer, said.
THE EXERCISE
Officials said the sanitisation was done with the help of readily available 1% hypochlorite solution mixture. It is mixed with water — about 100ml of the solution in 10 litres of water — before being used. After spraying the solution in common areas, lifts, door handles, button panels of lifts, floor, etc, the area is thoroughly mopped.
The other mode of sanitisation is to mix three teaspoon of bleaching powder in one litre of water and then spray and mop each area/fixture.
If neither of this can be done, three to four spoons of normal detergent powder can be mixed in a litre of water used for sanitising the affected the area.
“As part of the exercise, every floor of the building, where the patients reside, was sanitised. The 57-year-old man is recovering well while his son has shown no symptoms so far. While the father is in a Delhi hospital, the son is admitted to the isolation ward of MMG Hospital. The flat of the patients as well as the common areas and facilities of the building were sanitised Friday. Further, we have also called a meeting of all local RWAS and they will be apprised about steps to be taken to safeguard against the Covid-19 infection,” the CMO said.
The office bearers of Raj Nagar Extension developers’ association were approached for their views on the situation but they did not respond till late Friday.
TESTING
Officials said so far, they have sent 34 samples for testing and reports of only two cases are pending. Of the 32 received so far, two were positive while 30 were negative for Covid-19 infection.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, during a press briefing in Lucknow Friday, said officials have also been asked to take special measures in bordering areas such as Ghaziabad, Noida and Meerut districts. Adityanath also added that all airports in the state will continue screening passengers.
SANITISATION WAS DONE USING HYPOCHLORITE SOLUTION MIXTURE. ABOUT 100ML OF THE SOLUTION WAS MIXED IN 10 LITRES OF WATER AND ALL PUBLIC AREAS THOROUGHLY MOPPED