Exclusive COVID care centre set up as cases among Corpn staff increase

According to a Corporation official, the centre is functioning from Madras University PG hostel building. “A COVID care centre for the general public is already functioning in the building and one portion has been allocated to Corporation employees and their families,” the official said.

He added that along with the employees of Chennai Corporation, employees of Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board also can use the COVID care centre.

As per the order issued by the civic body, the facility could be utilised by permanent employees only. Temporary staff and contract employees can not use the exclusive facilities. It may be noted that the majority of conservancy workers, FOCUS volunteers, fever survey workers and even doctors running fever clinics, who are exposed in the field, are contract or temporary staff.

“Permanent employees and their families can get tested at the scanning centre inside the PG hostel and get admitted to the COVID care centre based on their test result and seriousness of symptoms,” the order said.

Meanwhile, a Corporation source said more than 100 employees, including those who are working on a temporary and contract basis, are testing positive every day. But, a senior official, while refusing to share the exact numbers, claimed that only 1 or 2 cases have been reported among permanent employees per day.

“A few days ago, an office assistant, who was in his early thirties, died due to COVID-19. He was working on a temporary basis. There are several deaths among the employees. Employees, who took both doses of the vaccine, are also being infected,” a Corporation employee said.

As per the civic body data, the number of active cases is nearing 50,000 and the number of recoveries is around 4 lakh, as of Wednesday morning.