KMC has urged resident welfare associations to set up their own safe homes.

The state government came up with the concept of safe homes with beds, oxygen facility and telemedicine facilities in 2020 to free up hospital beds.The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has urged resident welfare associations of large complexes and high-rise societies in the city to set up their own safe homes to isolate Covid-19 positive patients.

West Bengal reported 12,876 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, at least one out of every four patients was registered in Kolkata. The city has nearly 19,000 active cases.It is said that when the first wave of Covid-19 hit in 2020, a significant portion of the cases came from large housing complexes. This time too we apprehend that they could become hotspots of Covid-19 and hence such advisories have been sent out. There are around 200 state-run safe homes in West Bengal, concentrated mostly in Kolkata, with more than 11,000 beds where non-critical patients, who need treatment, could be kept in isolation.

As the fresh cases are going up across the state, the Health department is keen on reopening of ‘Safe Homes’ in various districts particularly where the daily infection is higher. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will open 3 ‘Safe Homes’ under its jurisdiction which could accommodate 3,000 people. Those who have not enough space in their houses would be kept in these ‘Safe Homes’.

There are currently 200 ‘Safe Homes’ operational across the State. The total number of beds in ‘Safe Homes’ stands at 11,507. Covishield vaccine is being administered on the people from 80 centers in the city. The number of overall of Covid vaccination centers (CVCs) has been increased in the city as the vaccination process has been started for all the people above the age of 45, besides the senior citizens, health professionals and front line workers.