An AD Block resident was surprised when a man covered from head to toe in a protective suit stood in front of her and pointed an infrared thermometer at her head in front of the BD market.

Debapriya Roy, 27, said that although she was initially taken aback she saw the man walk up to nearly every person who was trying to enter the market and letting people enter only after taking a reading of their body temperature.

A group of five civic workers is moving around BD, AB, AC and AD blocks carrying these thermal thermometers. Every morning, during peak market hours these workers are stationing themselves in front of BD Market and AB-AC Market to take temperature readings of everyone.

The initiative has been taken by councillor Anindya Chatterjee of Ward 41 under whose purview these blocks fall.

According to Chatterjee, he bought the thermometers from his councillor’s fund as they are effective to find out whether someone is running a fever.

“We are using these to monitor all those who are moving around in these blocks. We are stressing on monitoring the markets that are witnessing the largest congregation of people these days,” said Chatterjee.

According to him, each thermometer cost him upwards of Rs 4,000 and said that they were much needed in the fight against Covid-19.

“The biggest threat are people who might be affected but are not showing symptoms. By using these, we will at least get an idea if someone is running a fever and send him back home promptly from areas where people are there,” he said.

According to him even policemen on patrol and delivery agents of food delivery apps and restaurants are being checked by the civic workers if they come across them.

A special workshop was organised to train the civic workers to handle the infrared thermometers and to take the readings.

“We have attended a workshop and we know the temperature range as well,” said a civic worker who is operating the thermometer. A senior health official said that they were mulling to emulate this initiative in other wards of the civic body.

saltlake@abpmail.com