Hand-washing booths to be installed in shelter homes

PM’s focal person says every visitor at the shelters will be screened

ISLAMABAD: Given the looming threats from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the government has made efforts to protect those living at the shelter homes or ‘panahgahs’ including a neat and clean environment, access to media for public awareness messages and critical equipment such as hand-washing booths.

This was disclosed by the Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Shelter Homes Naseemur Rehman on Sunday after visiting the shelter home set up in the Tarlai locality of the federal capital.

“In the first leg, mobile teams have been designated for all eight ‘Panahgahas’ (shelter homes) of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, which are currently busy giving a practical demonstration to visitors and dwellers on wearing masks, maintaining personal hygiene, and the proper use of soap and sanitizers [for washing hands],” he said.

The Tarlai ‘Panah Gaha’, which is among the eight shelter homes of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, is located on the outskirts of the federal capital and can accommodate around 150 homeless and needy people every day and provide them with food.

“Out-reach and face-to-face communication is the principal focus of our awareness creation strategy due to the low literacy rate of shelter home dwellers,” he said while highlighting the initiatives taken by the government for the safety of ‘Panahhaha’ inmates.

Talking to state-run media, Rehman pointed out that the government had recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a strengthening participatory organisation (SPO) to install hand-washing booths at all shelter homes, operating across the country.

“As part of the efforts to ensure a neat and clean environment and reduce the risk of infections at all shelter homes, its administrations will be collaborating with the SPO shortly for ensuring the provision of clean water with chlorination,” he said.

Efforts were also afoot for disinfection of the facilities in the worst-case scenario, he added.

The focal person added that they have installed thermoguns to screen every visitor arriving at shelters across the country. Provision of soaps, sanitizers and faces masks had also been ensured to make sure the safety of every dweller at the shelter homes, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23^rd, 2020.