Mass Covid testing begins in Gadchiroli

Nagpur: Mass testing for Covid-19 is going on in Gadchiroli as a precautionary measure as the district hopes to keep cases from spreading to interior parts. Even in remote Bhamragarh, which is one of the worst affected taluka due to Naxalite activity, authorities are making sure that all frontline workers are tested.
District collector Deepak Singla confirmed that these mass tests were indeed a precautionary step.“We are conducting testing on everyone who is involved in Covid relief like doctors, police, employees and teachers. Also, we are testing people like kirana shop owners, journalists etc,” said Singla.
The local education department is also very keen to get all of its staff tested as the district prepares for an eventual physical re-opening of schools. A teacher employed at the Zilla Parishad (ZP) school told TOI that everyone wants to be “in the clear” for the reopening. “I have already undergone the test and every day, a list is being prepared for those who have to report for it. Nobody is avoiding it. In fact, people are very keen to get tested so that they can be assured of safety,” the teacher said.
His colleague at ZP, who works at a different school in Bhamragarh, said, “I have been asked to report for the test at the panchayat samiti office on Wednesday. It’s really good that the authorities have started mass testing as this will help us to ensure safety at the school later on.”
On Tuesday, TOI had reported about two studies published in The Lancet, a renowned medical journal, about how mass testing is key for safe reopening of schools.
Gadchiroli and neighbouring Chandrapur district were the only districts in the entire state to physically reopen schools in July. That initiative was however short-lived and they all closed down to comply with central government orders which have not yet given the green signal for schools’ reopening.