THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
The State government's door-to-door community health survey began on Monday, even as Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the State administration will finalise its next 15-day roadmap after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation on Tuesday morning.
It will depend and conform to the Central government's guidelines,
Sawant said, adding that the lockdown, albeit with more of the curbs eased, could possibly continue for another fortnight or even longer.
Thousands of teachers, anganwadi workers, gram sevaks and booth-level officers usually engaged for electoral work earlier fanned out to homes across the State ostensibly to health profile Goa's population.
Sawant, who has faced flak for holding the survey for the lack of clarity on its purpose or scientific-medical justification, meanwhile, claimed the public's response on day one was positive.
“I am pleased to see the positive response for the survey. Goans are united in the fight against COVID-19 and together we will root out this menace,” Sawant said.
According to him, nearly two lakh individuals were reached by the surveyors on Monday and the people were proactively cooperating.
“IMA and medical professionals have also extended their support,” he said, adding that high-risk cases will be tested for Coronavirus.
Meanwhile, several individuals who were covered by the survey on Monday, have questioned the protocols used in it and also the efficiency of the surveyors.
Rather than a health profiling survey, in several cases, the surveyors were simply distributing COVID-19 awareness pamphlets and recording responses to travel history and symptoms related queries, said a citizen The Goan spoke to.
The government insists said the survey and the data collated from it will help it strategise the next stage of the State's fight against the dreaded virus but has not articulated the reasoning.
