A door-to-door survey to identify people with Covid-19 symptoms has been started by the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation.

The survey is being done by the 1,200-odd health workers who have been deployed to look out for stagnant water as part of the civic body’s dengue prevention drive.

The pockets where the survey has started include parts of Salt Lake and Baguiati, Jyangra, Hatiara, Raghunathpur, Narayantala, Teghoria, Dhalipara, Atghara and Kaikhali.

Several such pockets have been sealed off after persons with symptoms of coronavirus infection were admitted to various hospitals from there.

“The surveillance will take place in phases. We have started the drive in those areas that have the highest number of people suspected to be suffering from Covid-19,” said an official of the civic health department.

Pranay Kumar Ray, the mayoral council member in charge of health, said a number of people from Teghoria, Kaikhali and Baguiati had to be admitted to various Covid-19 hospitals after they showed symptoms of the disease.

“We hope to complete the door-to-door survey towards the middle of May,” said Ray.

Civic officials, however, are worried that the corporation does not have enough workers to complete the survey by the middle of May.

“We should make repeated visits within a span of 14 days, which is the maximum incubation period of the coronavirus. Finishing the first round of the survey by mid-May will prove an uphill task,” the official said.

Each of the 41 wards of the Bidhannagar civic body has been allotted 10 two-member teams for the survey. Each team carries two sheets to record the response of the citizens. “The teams have also been instructed to check for stagnant freshwater in all the houses they visit,” said Ray.

The health workers have been asked to note down details of all residents and ask them if they have any symptoms of Covid-19 — fever, dry cough or shortness of breath.

If a team comes across an individual having any symptom, the surveillance in the immediate neighbourhood will be intensified and efforts will be made to track down others suffering from symptoms of the disease.

“We have started surveillance at the community level hoping it will help us pin-point potential suspects and get them quarantined as soon as possible to prevent the spread of the disease,” said mayor Krishna Chakraborty.

“Several markets have also been shifted and many areas have been sealed. We will take in more people if required for the survey.”

A resident of Salt Lake’s BD Block, however, said the health workers were merely asking the names of the people staying in a house before hastily moving away.

“They just asked our names and then went away. They did not ask for any other details,” said Rishi Agarwal.

The civic body has also introduced the practice of checking the body temperature of people entering and leaving markets of the township.