Kolkata: One-help-many-homes formula at condos to reduce risk of infection – Times of India

Kolkata News

KOLKATA: To cut down on the entry of outsiders, most housing societies in Kolkata have started sharing maids — one domestic help working at multiple households in the same tower or complex rather than visiting other neighbourhoods. Entry of domestic helps was allowed post Unlock 1, after a period of two and a half months.
Deepti Goyal, a senior association member of Manikala Residential Complex off EM Bypass, said, “We are asking residents to employ those maids who are already working at a household in a tower and not employ new ones that can increase the chance of infection.”

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Residents, especially the elderly, and housing society managements have been grappling with the problem of who to allow inside buildings or complexes. Sharing housework support staff can reduce the number of people entering our home and the risk of the virus’s spread. What is important, particularly for the elderly and the ailing, is maintaining the vigil.

At DLF Heights in New Town, the residents’ association conducted medical screening of several maids before allowing them inside the complex. The screening after 15 days and a team has been constituted to ensure no maid is reporting from a containment zone. “We are encouraging people to hire maids from this pool of medically cleared maids. We are urging maids not to work at multiple complexes and in turn are trying to employ them with flats in our complex to cut down on the number of outsiders,” said Naba Kumar Mondal, a senior member of the association.
Saptaparni Cooperative Housing Society, too, has restricted entry of domestic helps from containment zones to encourage the concept of maid-sharing. “Many maids who agreed to stay back, took up work in other houses to help tide over the difficult phase. The society board also conducted an opinion poll of the members at the onset of Unlock 1 before taking decisions,” said Indrani Chaudhuri, the board secretary.
Urbana authorities have capped the number of households a domestic help can work at. “We are allowing a maid to work at a maximum of three households in the complex to avoid spread of infection,” said Debjani Mookherjee, senior vice-president of the residents’ association.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/kolkata-one-help-many-homes-formula-at-condos-to-reduce-risk-of-infection/articleshow/76525988.cms