Ward coordinators or outgoing councillors of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation have to ensure that contacts of people who test positive for Covid-19 undergo Covid tests, a member of the civic body’s board of administrators told them at a meeting on Thursday.

Atin Ghosh, the member who is in charge of the CMC’s health department, told the ward coordinators if someone among the contact tests positive, they should be isolated immediately.

Public health specialists have stressed on the three pronged strategy to trace, test and isolate to contain Covid-19. More tests would help identify more people who are carrying the novel coronavirus but do not have any external manifestation of symptoms and freely mix with others.

Isolating them will prevent the transmission of the virus from asymptomatic carriers to uninfected people, the specialists have said.

Metro reported on November 6 that the number of people undergoing Covid tests at the 72 rapid antigen testing centres of the CMC was below the expectation of civic officials.

“Ghosh urged coordinators to mobilise people for tests,” a ward coordinator said.