Physical-distancing norms went for a toss when hundreds of people gathered on the premises of the District General Hospital in Kottayam, a designated COVID care centre, here on Saturday to attend a walk-in interview.
The episode began to unfold in the morning when the candidates, mostly women and some of them carrying kids, lined up in front of the hospital in response to a newspaper notification inviting candidates for an interview to various temporary posts.
Walk-in interview
The walk-in interview, for different vacancies including staff nurse, junior health inspector, nursing assistant and attenders, was originally scheduled to be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
As the eager job aspirants continued to pour in even from faraway places, the queue began to grow longer along the National Highway 183 near the hospital.
As the candidates jostled each other for a space in the queue, attempts by the hospital authority and the police to ensure physical distancing between the individuals standing in the queue fell flat.
Traffic disruptions
Meanwhile, the huge gathering also caused traffic disruptions along the road and threatened to disrupt even the ambulance services.
As things spiralled out of control, District Collector P.K. Sudheer Babu and District Medical Officer Jacob Varghese intervened in the issue and directed the hospital authority to suspend the proceedings.
Soon, the hospital authority came up with an announcement directing the candidates to submit their application through online and appear for an online test.
The police too acted swiftly to disperse the crowd and normalcy was restored on the hospital premises by 11.45 a.m.
Application
The candidates are now required to submit their application on Monday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
“The Hospital Management Committee (HMC) had made no arrangements to keep physical distancing among the candidates. The crowd could have been regulated either through a token system or by offering appointment time in batches instead of going for a walk-in model,” said an official with the District Health Department.
When contacted, a top official with the HMC said they had never expected such a huge crowd as the ‘interview was for a few temporary positions’.
