While India has been hit hard by the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Uttar Pradesh, the largest state by population has fared better in managing the situation compared to some other states. The state has around 1.2 lakh active cases, less than other states like Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, West Bengal etc. The Yogi Adityanath government has taken various steps in handling the situation, and one of them is the constitution of Monitoring Committees.
The Monitoring committees are playing a vital role in the ongoing battle against coronavirus (Covid-19) in Uttar Pradesh, as they are getting more than one lakh tests done in the rural areas of the state everyday. The tests are being conducted by the Rapid Response Teams (RRTs).
Representatives of civil society groups such as Asha, Anganwadi and ANM, who have been part to the committees, act as a shield to protect people from the disease by identifying suspected cases, expediting tests and facilitating treatment as fast as possible. They have been given oximeters and infrared thermometers to identify people with symptoms.
After identifying the suspected cases of Covid-19, the representatives pass on the information to the RRT which visits the residences of the suspected cases and conducts the tests. Subsequently, tests are conducted on the family members of the suspected cases also.
The monitoring committees are following the Yogi Adityanath Government’s mantra of ‘test, trace and treat’ against the novel coronavirus religiously. Apart from identifying all suspected Covid cases from door to door on the instructions of the Chief Minister, they are getting more than a lakh tests conducted daily through the RRTs in rural areas alone while the total daily tests are more than 2.50 lakh in the state. “Today UP has the unique distinction of being a state that is committed to eradicating Covid-19 from every village of the state”, a state govt release said. It added that thanks to the committees’ efforts, out of total 2.99 lakh tests conducted today, more than 2.19 lakh tests were conducted in the rural areas.
It is worth mentioning here that the members of the monitoring committees have visited 79,512 villages as part of a Covid-19 screening campaign launched by the Yogi Government on May 5. The members detected infections in 28,742 villages, following which targeted efforts were made to contain the spread of the virus in these villages. Today, 68 percent of the villages in UP are free from the virus, thanks to the timely efforts of the Yogi Government.
With the help of more than four lakh members of 60,589 monitoring committees, the Uttar Pradesh Government is inching closer every day in terms of flattening the curve of Covid infection.
Meanwhile, the state government has also started a special sanitation campaign in rural areas to prevent the virus from spreading. UP is the first state in the country where a sanitation drive has been undertaken on such a large scale in rural areas. The Government’s efforts to prevent infectious diseases before the rains have also paid off.
Furthermore, the members of the monitoring committees are also reaching out to rural population to raise their awareness of the importance of hygiene and social distancing in guarding against coronavirus. Awareness campaigns are also being run continuously on the importance of washing hands with soaps and wearing masks regularly. Members of the monitoring committees keep track of all the people arriving in villages in order to identify suspected Covid cases and facilitate testing and treatment of patients. They also distribute medical kits to patients in home isolation. The committees are also facilitating quarantine for suspected cases that can’t afford home isolation in schools, community centres and health centres in villages.
The monitoring committees have played crucial role in rapid management of Covid in the countryside of UP, earning the CM worldwide acclaim. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also praised the state government’s efforts to tackle Covid. The WHO, on its website, has praised the UP Government for speedy control of the disease.
