Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jun 29: In order to keep close watch on corona regulatory measures adopted within the gram panchayat limits, daily Covid test targets have been fixed. This has been giving sleepless nights to health warriors.

As of now, there is instruction to collect throat swab samples of 75 people every day and send the same for testing to Covid labs. ASHA and Anganwadi workers too are getting such tests done through nurses within their jurisdictions. So far they have somehow reached the targets.

Representational image

But now the warriors are not getting support from the people. Some disagree to subject themselves to test. Wherever positive cases are found, those who were in primary contacts with them have to be tested at any cost. But they escape from the health workers. There have also been cases in which people have left for the houses of relatives or friends to avoid testing. Because of these developments, many fail to reach the goals set for them. Because of this, the warriors get reprimanded by village level officials. At the same time, these officials are questioned at the district level by assistant
commissioners.

Even though lockdown is in operation, in the villages, people can be seen roaming around, or gather at the bus shelters or platforms to while away time conversing with each other. Such people have also been tested. The workers have visited different areas, conducted mass checks in case of residential complexes. In rural areas positivity camps are conducted, but positive testing results are becoming less.

Many healthy people refuse to accept positive results they might have received. They take ASHA workers to task, terming the result as wrong. They do not agree to seal down of houses. They get tested from private labs.

A village accountant says that many refuse to get tested when approached by ASHA workers and Anganwadi workers for the same. Therefore, sometimes, the village accountants have to accompany them. He said that due to the monsoon season, there are a lot of other works and therefore it is hard to reach the target.