Hummingbird News Desk
KOLKATA, 18 MAY: State government has decided to set up safe homes in government-aided schools for the purpose of accommodating the Covid-patients with mild symptoms to reduce the load in the hospitals.
In this regard, the state education department has issued a directive addressing to the district administrations where it has urged to take immediate measures to make the school buildings sanitised and ready to use. The order came at a time when around 20,000 Covid cases were recorded on an average every day.
“This is to inform you that in view of the current Covid situation in the state and schools being closed, the state government is considering the use of schools for safe home for Covid affected people. I am directed to request you to take immediate measure to see that the school buildings vacated (if occupied) and sanitised,” the order issued by the school education department reads.
The state government came up with the concept of “safe homes” to isolate mostly asymptomatic coronavirus-positive patients to free up hospital beds.
“Letters have already been sent to DMs of several districts for creating as many safe homes in school buildings as possible,” an official said.
Such isolation facilities will be set up in school buildings that have the infrastructure to accommodate basic medical facilities for Covid patients, he said.
Apart from Kolkata, a few districts such as North and South 24 Parganas, Hooghly and Howrah will get these facilities in schools on a priority basis as the spurt in coronavirus cases has been noticed in these areas, he said.
Paschim Bardhaman, Nadia, Purbo Medinipur and Birbhum are also among the districts where “safe homes” will be set up in the government-aided schools.
“According to the trend of infection, a lot of Covid-19 positive reports are coming in from rural belts of the state. In the rural areas, there is no adequate healthcare facility like those in urban areas and the schools are the buildings that can be used as safe homes for mild symptomatic patients,” said a senior health official.
Meanwhile, Para Teachers’ Unity Manch urged the government to engage its members to run the upcoming “safe homes” in schools.
“We welcome the decision to have safe homes in school buildings. We also request the government to provide training and engage us to run these facilities in educational institutes,” said Bhagirath Ghosh, joint convenor of the organisation.
Tags: #SafeHomes #HappyFamilies #StrongCommunities