Team Herald
PANJIM/PORVORIM: Social distancing norms were thrown to the wind during the day-long training session held for hundreds of block level officers, teachers, Anganwadi workers and others on conduct of community survey on COVID-19. Both at Panjim and Porvorim, participants were seen without required personal protective equipment like masks.
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Around 7,000 government servants will be participating in the four-day house-to-house community survey, beginning from April 13. The survey will be conducted by four-member teams consisting of BLOs, primary or secondary school teachers, Anganwadi workers and meter readers or gram sewak or excise guards.
Pictures were shared on social media clearly indicating that the criterion of social distancing was not followed during the training session held in Panjim. Participants were also seen without protective gears like masks.
A participant, on request of anonymity said, “The area was literally crowded. There was no scope for social distancing. Forget about maintaining one metre distance. The arrangements made were very poor”.
The official said, “All were directed to get their own masks. Many were without masks during the training programme. Those without masks were not provided any facility.”
Another woman participant said, “Government has randomly selected people for the survey. We were also warned of action, if we fail to attend the training session or refuse to participate in the survey”.
The circular issued by North Collector R Menaka stated, “Absence from duty for training or survey shall attract violation of the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, thereby making the officer concerned liable for action under Provisions of Section 55 and 56 of the Act”.
The North Collector remained unavailable for comments.
Meanwhile, at Porvorim, there was some commotion and many of them missed the morning training session as they “got the message late”.
Those who came without masks were provided the same, however, the trainees were made to sit very close to each other, unmindfull of the social distancing norm.
Many of the trainnees complained that senitizers were not provided; and that the training did not begin till 4 pm, although there were asked to report to the venue at 3 pm.
After the training many of them wanted to know whether they would be quarantined after the survey, while some of them felt a health check up should be held for the staff after the survey.
It is learnt that the survey would be conducted with the help of an App. And during the survey, the name of the head of the household and his phone number would be entered in the App. Besides, the family memebers would be asked about possible coronavirus symptoms.
Meanwhile, many of the traninees experienced difficulty in downloading the App.
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CM denies breach of social distancing
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant refuted allegations of breach of social distancing norm during the training for staff to be deployed for community survey. “I have checked all the photographs. In one photograph, which has gone viral, it is clicked from the backside, and it looks like no social distancing is maintained. But it is not the case. Social distance was being maintained,” he said.
The CM also clarified that no staff was forced to join the survey and that the government has taken humanitarian approach towards staff with health problems and those with infants.
