As many as 2.19 lakh people of Chandigarh have so far been screened for the symptoms of Coronavirus during the ongoing door to door survey started by the UT Administration.
To combat the spread of Coronavirus in the city, the Administration has decided to screen the entire population of Chandigarh for symptoms of the highly contagious virus.
The Union Territory of Chandigarh has an estimated population of 12 lakh.
Punjab Governor and UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore on Friday directed that outlying areas in periphery and colonies should be given priority in the door to door screening.
During the daily review meeting at UT Secretariat here, he also directed that the idle buses of CTU could be utilized for the purpose.
Badnore stressed that all officials going for screening must maintain hygiene and wear proper safety gears. While conducting this screening, they should also advise the residents to maintain proper hygiene and social distancing, he added.
He has also directed the UT officers to intensify the efforts to screen entire population of the city in short time.
So far, the city has reported 19 positive Covid-19 cases till Friday evening. Out of these cases, seven have already recovered and discharged from the hospitals.
After the meeting, UT Adviser Manoj Parida said that till Friday, 219,000 persons have already been screened in the city.
The remaining will be done through teams moving from door to door, said Parida while requesting the city residents to cooperate with the UT teams conducting the survey.
Parida said that the teams carrying the door to door survey will be carrying an identity card. The residents are requested to given true details about sickness, symptoms, foreign visits, he added.
The Adviser also informed that Government of India has banned all social or religious gatherings and processions during the festivals coming up in April 2020.
Meanwhile, the UT Administration has prepared an “Integrated Covid Management Plan” for the city, which was prepared in consultation with the doctors of PGIMER, GMSH-16 and GMCH-32 to deal with any emergency situation arising out of surge in the cases of Covid-19.
Under the plan, the Administration has proposed three levels of accommodation for Covid-19 positive and suspected cases in the city. Estimating Chandigarh’s population as 12 lakh and a peak of coronavirus pandemic in the future, the plan is being prepared contemplating different scenarios of contingencies of Covid spreading among the denizens.
A sum of Rs 1.53 crores has so far been received in Chandigarh Fights COVID Fund.
UNDER LOCKDOWN, PEOPLE AR EHIGH ON HOPE, FIND PU RESEARCH SURVEY
“A majority of Indians are high on optimism and hope despite a life-altering disruption caused by the nation-wide lockdown to fight the coronavirus pandemic,” revealed an online research survey conducted by Psychology Department of Panjab University.
“An overwhelming majority of respondents i.e. 96 percent have reported a positive emotional and mental health, which is the silver lining to the bleak public mood since the virus outbreak in the country,” said Prof Seema Vinayak, chairperson, Psychology Department of Panjab University.
Psychologist Prof Seema carried out the online research investigation between April 6 and 9. The survey was responded by over 400 people of diverse age groups and social strata, having the internet access, in over dozen states across the nation that has been under an unprecedented lockdown since March 25.
“A new sense of family bonding has acted as a cushion for stress, anxiety and fear arising out of uncertainty, and also upped the happiness quotient of members,” said Prof Seema.
Much of the positive outlook among people, according to the survey, is a prolonged period of togetherness forced upon the families by the curfew-like stay-at-home norms. Interestingly, elderly respondents, who generally experienced loneliness in normal times due to busy lives of younger family members, reported a significant surge in their emotional well-being owing to a greater interpersonal interactions in homes. The lockdown appears to have offset the empty nest syndrome in many cases, she said.
At least two-thirds of respondents reported that enjoying nature , yoga , meditation and physical exercise in the confines of home helped them cope with the stressors of an unabated pandemic and an open-ended lockdown.
Impact on livelihood, uncertainty on academic and professional lives, continued raging of coronavirus and loss of social life emerged as the top-of- the-mind worries among respondents.
Yet, most are high on hope about the post-lockdown future. Trust in the Government’s steps to deal with the virus outbreak, a likely invention of vaccine, greater focus on health care and increased awareness about hygiene were mentioned as bright spots by three-fourths of respondents, she added.