Vegetable markets, the main places witnessing crowds during the lockdown, will soon have disinfectant chambers set up by the East Singhbhum district administration to check the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus.

A start was made on Wednesday at the temporary vegetable market at Sakchi parking bay near the Basant Talkies Roundabout.

“We installed a disinfectant chamber at the temporary vegetable market near the Basant Talkies Roundabout. Depending on the response, we will install similar facilities at crowded places such as Golmuri, Bistupur, Kadma and Sonari,” said Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC) special officer Krishna Kumar.

Earlier this week, the district administration started a full-body disinfectant chamber donated by the state health department for healthcare workers dedicated to isolation wards.

The portable disinfectant chamber has a mist sprayer through which sanitiser is sprayed on the body, disinfecting it in five minutes.

“A person has to enter the chamber with hands raised and eyes closed in a matter of five minutes. The entire body will be sanitised,” said East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Ravi Shankar Shukla.

East Singhbhum epidemiologist Dr M Asad said that spray was safe for skin and clothes. “Disinfection spray is being used world over for sanitisation and has been found to be safe for human skin and clothes. It kills bacteria and germs,' said Dr Asad.

The administration is also toying with the idea of setting up disinfectant tunnels at inter-state border points. East Singhbhum shares its borders on three sides with Bengal and Odisha. There are 12 checkpoints at border points to check visitors during the lockdown.

“We are planning to construct temporary disinfectant tunnels at inter-state check-points in the district. Talks have been held with a private agency and we hope to start disinfectant tunnels within a week. Vehicles and people will be sanitised before entering the district,” the deputy commissioner said.

The deputy commissioner directed district civil surgeon Dr Maheshwari Prasad to ensure all doctors, nurses and paramedical workers in government hospitals at block and rural levels get three-layered masks, gloves and sanitisers.

A directive was given to start at the earliest Covid-19 sample collection desks at Sadar Hospital in Khasmahal, Tata Motors Hospital in Telco and MGM Hospital in Sakchi and depute doctors at these desks so as to increase sample collections.

The DC also directed special officers of three civic bodies at Jamshedpur, Mango and Jugsalai to present a chart outlining crowded areas such as religious places, vegetable markets and steps taken to contain crowds in such places.