A large number of people are staying under the same roof, thus increasing the risk of infection in shelter houses.
Anil Tiwari
April 17, 2020
Social distancing is not being maintained in many shelter houses in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Most of the shelter houses are overcrowded. Thousands of labourers from Sidhi, Rewa and other districts are stuck in Bhopal amidst the lockdown.
Munna Tiwari, a labourer, said that a large number of people are staying under the same roof provided by the government. “I want to go home. I am afraid that I would get infected by the coronavirus in a crowded place like Rain Bashera(shelter house),” he said.
He added, “It would be better for us if the government could arrange transportation to reach my hometown in Rewa district.”
An official from a shelter home in Bhopal said, “Thousands of labourers have come to stay here in such a limited space. We are trying to follow the governments norms as much as we can. It would be better if more shelter houses are set up.”
Many labourers want to go home as they have limited ration. Hence they are staying in these shelter houses. The risk of getting infected by the virus there has also increased as social distancing is not maintained. Manish Sharma, tehsildar of Govindpura, Bhopal, said, “We are ensuring that proper self-distancing is maintained in all the shelter houses. We are providing food and medicines to the labourers there. If any NGO fails to follow the guidelines released by the government, we would take strict action against it.”
Bhopal has emerged as one of the hotspots of COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh. So far, 196 cases of COVID-19 have been reported.
