Karimganj district administration asks tea garden management to constitute COVID-19 Management Committee

May 24: Considering the pandemic situation and vulnerability of tea garden workers and for effective containment of COVID-19 in tea estates of the district, every tea garden authority will constitute a ‘Tea Garden COVID-19 Management Committee’. This was decided in a meeting chaired by Deputy Commissioner, Khageswar Pegu with tea garden managers and other stakeholders at his office conference hall here on Saturday.

The Tea Garden COVID-19 Management Committee headed by the tea garden manager will comprise Circle Officer, SMD&HO of the BPHC and incharge of local police facility as members with medical/para medical officer of the garden as Member Secretary. The committee will implement government orders, SoPs and guidelines for effective management of containment/ micro containment zone, home isolation and COViD Care Centre in tea estate areas.

The meeting decided that every tea garden will designate a COVID Care Centre within the garden areas. The COVID Care Centre so designated should have minimum basic heath facilities with two numbers of isolation beds with availability of oxygen for mild symptomatic COVID-19 patients.The garden authority will also take all  possible steps for early referral of symptomatic patients at the District COVID designated Civil Hospital for immediate medical treatment.

The Deputy Commissioner directed that the DPM, NHM to take immediate steps for registration as well as renewal of all tea garden hospitals under PPP mode and to complete the task within a period of one week.
The essential commodities to the families of tea garden workers will be provided by the tea
garden management if the sole earner of the family is under home isolation, COVID Care Centre or at COVID Hospital. However, the garden management may also seek assistance from the district administration in this regard.

The Circle Officer and the Labour Inspector will visit each and every tea garden under his or her jurisdiction at least twice a week and furnish detail report of their visit to the DDMA. It was also decided that the tea garden management will immediately submit the list of all eligible plantation workers to the NHM for immediate vaccination drive against COViD-19 in the tea estates. In this context, the DPM, NHM, will furnish a detail status report on vaccination drive undertaken and RAT/RT-PCR samples already collected from tea gardens of the district to the DDMA for further needful action.

It was further decided that a WhatsApp Group will be created by the DPM, NHM incorporating phone numbers of tea estate managers, ADC (Health), ADC (Revenue), Circle Officers, Joint Director, Health Services, DIO, DSO and DPM. The garden managers may also incorporate the names of other persons. The garden management will utilise the ambulance service at their disposal for referral purpose of COVID-19 suspected persons found in tea garden areas. 104 services may also be used for the purpose if the situation arises. The garden managers will ensure strict compliance of all COVID-19 protocols and appropriate behaviours by all staff, workers and inhabitants of garden areas.

Earlier, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Health, apprised the tea garden managers and other stakeholders about the status of vaccination and RAT/RT-PCR samples collected from the tea garden areas of the district. He also apprised about the latest guidelines/SoPs on COVID-19 issued by the State and Central Governments to the tea garden managers.