The Salt Lake civic body has decided to prepare a list of places in its 41 wards where residents have been refusing to speak to Covid-19 survey teams, a Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation official said.

The list will be prepared based on the survey team’s feedback. The completed list will be sent to police stations, requesting for a police team to accompany the health workers, the official said.

Salt Lake mayor Krishna Chakraborty said police help would be sought “in extreme cases”. “We will again ask health workers to visit the houses from where they have been turned away once the list is complete. We have started making announcements seeking people’s cooperation. We will take help of cops only if necessary.”

Each block committee will be asked to create a WhatsApp group with a member of each family. Residents will have to self-assess their health and post their findings in the group, a health official said.

In case a person uploads information that someone in his/her family has symptoms of Covid-19, a health team will reach his/her house immediately, the official said.

“Salt Lake has a sizeable population of elderly people; some of whom are not conversant with smartphones and WhatsApp,” another official said.