CUTTACK: Throwing social distancing norm to the wind, teaching and non-teaching staff of all government schools in Mahanga block crowded Hanumanjew Bidyaniketan at Ranigoda on Saturday to undergo the Covid-19 test.
Even as Covid safety norms were violated at the test centre, the health officials who were collecting the samples, did not intervene to streamline the crowd. Not a single policeman was deployed at the centre to enforce the social distancing norm.
On November 9, Mahanga BDO Nihar Ranjan Mallick in a letter had directed the Block Education Officer (BEO) to instruct all teaching and non-teaching staff of government-run schools to go for Covid test at two mobile swab collection centres on the premises of Raghunath Bidyapitha at Kothapada on November 17 and Hanumanjew Bidyaniketan at Ranigoda on November 21 at 11 am. The Covid test of all teaching and non-teaching staff is necessitated before opening of the schools, the letter stated.
Accordingly, 571 staff of different schools had gathered to undergo Covid test on the premises of Hanumanjew Bidyaniketan on Saturday. However, due to gross mismanagement at the testing centre, the teaching and non-teaching staff made huge rush instead of waiting in a queue.
Of the 571 staff, 511 were screened through rapid antigen while rest 60 underwent RT-PCR test. Of the 511 staff, who had undergone rapid antigen test, 5 were tested positive for the virus. The RT-PCR test results hasn’t come yet.
“Had the authorities taken necessary steps for maintaining social distancing, there would have been no such huge rush. I am apprehending I may be infected as I was caught up in the crowd for a long time,” said a teacher.
Criticising the administration’s move, general secretary of Odisha Secondary School Teachers’ Association Prakash Chandra Mohanty said while the government is yet to take a decision on opening of the schools, carrying out Covid test of teachers is unnecessary and will be useless. It will be fruitful if the test is conducted a few days before opening of the schools, he opined.
District education officer Niranjan Behera, however, stated he was not aware about the instruction to conduct Covid test of teaching and non-teaching staff of schools.