THURSDAY, MAY 02, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: Nearly 7,000 enumerators on Monday began the three-day door-to-door community survey, seeking details of people’s flu-like symptoms and travel histories, as a step in Goa’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Notwithstanding opposition to it, the government began the survey as directed by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The survey, to be concluded on April 15, is being conducted by four member teams consisting of BLOs, primary or secondary school teachers, anganwadi workers and meter readers or gram sewak or excise guards.
The team collects the necessary data regarding any symptoms of illness amongst family members, using a mobile app that will also geo-tag each location.
Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant said, “I am pleased to see the positive response by Goans for the community survey. Goans are united in the fight against #COVID19 and together we will root out this menace from our State.”
The survey is been conducted under the overall guidance and control of the District Collectors. The team members have been provided with masks and sanitisers by the Directorate of Health Services.
“The survey was quick and everything was recorded on the mobile app. My mother, who was alone at home when the surveyor came, found it very easy to interact with them. None of them entered my house. Everyone was wearing masks,” Panjim resident Rajendra Prabhu said.
Another resident, Ashok Kumar said that though it is a good initiative, the question remains as to how much to rely on the information provided by the public. “What is the guarantee that there is no hiding? The surveyor does not enter the house or check the person, whether he or she is ill or not. They just go as per the information provided by a family member,” he said, adding that there is the possibility of families hiding information if somebody is ill.
A surveyor said, “People are responding very positively to the survey, so far we have got a good response.”
Village Panchayat secretaries, talathis and ward members have been directed to supervise the functioning of the teams at the field level and report to the 17 incident commanders, who will be coordinating at the taluka level.
