Getting into action mode, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) officials are back to basics to deal with rising cases of COVID-19 with Municipal Commissioner Radhakrishnan B engaging city traders and seeking action plan from them to tackle the emerging threat. An urgent meeting was held at civic headquarters on Friday with trade representatives as crowding in city markets, mostly congested areas, emerged as one of the major concern. Seeking action plan from business community within next 10-days, Radhakrishnan said otherwise NMC would be forced to impose curbs in markets and crackdown on violators as threat is now for real and one cannot ignore the warning

signs anymore.

 

All trade representatives need to act responsibly in view of the increasing congestion in the commercial areas of the city. Special care should be taken to ensure that the shops are not crowded even as he indicated that Nuisance Detection Squad (NDS) is going to intensively patrol the market areas and instructions are issued to take punitive action in case more than five citizens are found at a time inside the shops.

 

Traders, hoteliers and their staff should undergo regular Corona tests once a month since they daily come in contact with large number of people. And with free testing available at NMC run centres, there are no hassles for business community in taking advantage of the system. Municipal Commissioner also pointed out during discussion that earlier at commercial establishment every visitor was made to undergo temperature check but now it seems to be absent and asked traders to revive the same. Citizens should be advised to use sanitizers when entering the shops and maintain social distance.

Meanwhile, Municipal Commissioner also stepped-up meetings with officials of Health Department and Corona War Room is now again on active mode to discuss strategies and draft preventive measures. Over last two to three days the daily case load has risen to 500 and worries are that in case if this number is crossed the situation on hand could spin out of control. The growing number of covid patients is due to the neglect of precautionary measures by citizens as marriages, parties, other household function where restraints were imposed on numbers is being flouted openly. Marriage halls are packed to capacity though they were told to operate with 50 per cent occupancy and Radhakrishnan said in next few days civic teams are going to ensure compliance with the directives.