Quarantine costs a concern for Corporation

Authorities doubtful of sustaining services with depleting resources

The increasing number of people in institutional quarantine is slowly becoming a burden on the cash-strapped local bodies.

The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation is in the process of identifying more possible quarantine centres to accommodate the people coming from abroad and other States.

As on Friday, the civic body has 716 people in 33 institutional quarantine centres. Seven more such centres have been identified now.

The Corporation provides food three times a day as well as a long list of 22 materials from bedsheets and buckets to plates and clothes.

Influx of NoRKS

Although initially the number of people choosing institutional quarantine was at manageable levels, the influx of Non-Resident Keralites (NoRKs) now has led to concern among authorities as to how long they would be able to sustain the same level of services with their depleting resources.

Among the many facilities that the Corporation has arranged for institutional quarantine are hostels or buildings of private colleges as well.

Though they have not demanded rent as of now, there is a concern that they could in the future demand payment for electricity and water bills.

“To provide food and all the facilities for several days for each of those in quarantine might become a challenge in the long run. Some of the sanitation workers also have expressed their fears at cleaning in these centres, as the number of positive cases has increased in recent days,” said an official.

Handling of materials

Another issue has been the handling of the materials used by those in quarantine. Though the city Corporation had requested the district administration to provide a laundry facility to wash bedsheets, nothing has happened on that front.

Now, the used bedsheets are being burned in most of the quarantine centres as the health wing officials have found that washing and using it can be impractical.