Ongole: Establishment of quarantine centers in public areas opposed

Ongole: People living in the surroundings of two proposed quarantine centres are demanding the government to immediately stop the arrangements and shift them to some other places. They said that they do not allow the suspected coronavirus patients to spend 14 days in their locality.

Prakasam Collector Dr Pola Bhaskara has issued instructions for the establishment and management of four quarantine centres in the district. He announced that they selected Rural Health Centre at Maddipadu, Social Empowerment Centre at Ongole, Women's Hostel in Malineni Lakshmaiah Engineering College at Singarayakonda, Viswesvaraya Bhavan in Dr Samuel George College of Engineering and Technology at Markapur as the quarantine centres.

The Collector appointed teams also to provide accommodation, infection prevention, and health control, food, sanitation, and other services to suspected cases of coronavirus. Following the orders of Collector, the officials' teams are busy preparing for rooms and dormitories in the selected quarantine centres.

The officials claimed that the people, who will be accommodated in the quarantine centres, are not positive cases but only suspects who had contract with coronavirus. There is a maximum possibility that the people in quarantine go home healthy, they assured.

However, people living in the surroundings of Rural Health Centre at Maddipadu and Social Empowerment Centre at Ongole opposed the decision of the district administration.

A resident of Sri Padmanjali Towers, the opposite apartment, expressed serious concern over the establishment of quarantine centres and demanded the government to select buildings on the outskirts of town than choosing the one near to the houses of public. Though the government failed to supply the masks and sanitisers, he requested it not to supply the coronavirus at their home.

A woman in the neighbourhood said that they do not want the government-run the quarantine centre at any cost and allow their families to suffer.