Covid-19 raises its ugly head again

Hyderabad: Covid scare is here once again. Within 24 hours of the Centre ranking Telangana as the 4th amongst all States with highest change in the number of active cases, some employees in the State Secretariat tested positive.

It is learnt that three positive cases were reported from the Irrigation and two other departments.

Sources said while the employees who tested positive have been asked to undergo necessary medical treatment, all the primary contact persons in those departments have been asked not to come to the office until they test negative. They have also been asked to undergo Covid-19 tests immediately as some of them were suspected to be having symptoms similar to that of Covid-19.

Till October, many employees tested positive for coronavirus though the government had imposed restrictions on the movement of the staff. General public was also not allowed to meet any officials.

The premises was being sanitised regularly and the supply of sanitisers at the workplaces in the Secretariat had become the order of the day. However, of late, officials said there has been some let up in maintaining social distance during the visiting hours and in the official meetings.

This could be the reason for the resurgence of the disease. There is a free movement of people in the lifts and at lunchrooms.

If restrictions were not re-imposed, there is every possibility of fast spreading of the virus. In view of the new development, the employees are demanding that they be considered as frontline workers and vaccine be administered to them on priority basis.

Officials said that the government should take extra safety measures to contain the spread of the virus by introducing alternate day working system with 50 per cent staff like it was done during the lockdown period.