Greenwood Sonata became the first housing complex in Bengal to receive government permission for initiation of a safe house for asymptomatic or mild Covid cases. The order, dated August 19, has been issued by the chief medical officer of health, North 24-Parganas.

In the cover story titled ‘New Town complex sets up Covid centre’, The Telegraph (Salt Lake) had reported on July 24 that the housing complex had received satisfactory comments verbally from the government team that came for inspection.

Sudipta Mukherjee, president of Greenwood Sonata Apartment Owners’ Association, said they had further done up the five-bedded facility. “We purchased semi Fowler beds with bedside tables, foldable mattreses, medicine trolley and stethoscope as well as created space for caregivers to stay.”

While two residential doctors had volunteered to oversee neighbours who might be checking in with Covid-19, three more have since volunteered help if needed. Having in-house medical help is a key condition for setting up safe houses in residential complexes, according to the standard operating procedure issued by the central government for residents’ welfare associations to run Covid safe houses.

“We are receiving queries from other housing complexes like Uttara Tritiya on how to set up a safe house,” said Mukherjee.

saltlake@abpmail.com