Andhra Pradesh: All public health workers to undergo Coronavirus tests

Vijayawada: The department of municipal administration and urban development directed the municipal commissioners in the state to conduct Covid-19 tests to all the public health workers and staff working in the urban local bodies (ULBs) in the state in co-ordination with the health, medical and family welfare department and immediately and furnish the reports.

All the regional directors-cum- appellate commissioners of the municipal administration were told to ensure that these instructions are impemented by the commissioners of all the ULBs in their jurisdiction. The move will benefit over 42,000 employees of these urban local bodies.

Earlier, the trader unions submitted representations to the municipal administration department to conduct the Covid tests as scores of workers were infected while discharging their duties.

Covid cases among the public health workers and other staff were reported in East Godavari, Vizianagaram, Chittoor, Prakasam and other districts.

Public health workers play key role in maintenance of sanitation in cities and towns thus vulnerable to the deadly pandemic.

Andhra Pradesh Municipal workers and Employees Federation state general secretary K Umamaheswara Rao in a statement on Saturday demanded that the state government pay Rs 50 lakh compensation to the kin of the health workers in case they die due to Covid-19 in the state.

He said the public health workers are also frontline workers and have been been fighting against the Covid.

He said the government responded positively to the representations submitted by trade unions on Covid-19 tests.

Umamaheswara Rao demanded that the Covid tests should be conducted to health workers in panchayats also.

He said the sanitation workers in panchayats are also vulnerable to Covid-19 and they may also be infected with the virus.

He also demanded that the Government regularise their services of outsourcing workers in village panchayats.