After 57 girls at shelter home test positive, UP govt orders thermal screening at all shelter homes, orphanages, juvenile homes

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has ordered thermal scanning of all staff and inmates of women shelter homes, orphanages and juvenile homes in the state. UP chief secretary Rajendra Kumar Tiwari, on Monday night, issued strict orders for implementation of all precautions needed to check the spread of coronavirus.

The move comes after 57 girls at a state-run shelter home in Kanpur had tested Corona positive. The chief secretary ordered that infrared thermometers should be made available for checking all people, including staff members, in women shelter homes, nari niketans, orphanages and juvenile homes. He said that anyone having cold, cough or fever should not be allowed entry into these places.

Letters for strict compliance of these directives have been issued to the additional chief secretary and the principal secretaries of the Social Welfare and the Women and Child Development departments. The caretakers of these homes should reside in the facilities and ensure that all necessary precautions are being taken, the order said.

The chief secretary further directed that in order to maintain cleanliness and hygiene, inmates should be provided soap and detergent powder. He said that those residing in these facilities should be provided masks and handkerchiefs to cover their faces. Social distancing norms should be strictly followed. The number of visitors of the inmates should be kept at the minimum and they should be properly screened if meeting was absolutely necessary.