More quarantine facilities are being planned across Bengal as part of an attempt to identify as many people exposed to the coronavirus as possible and minimise chances of community transmission of the pathogen, health department officials said on Thursday.

“Getting Covid-19 (the disease caused by the coronavirus) treatment centres equipped with high-end critical care facilities will become difficult if the number of patients start growing rapidly. Across the world, there are shortages of ventilators and beds. So, we need to get more people who have come in close contact with coronavirus patients or their contacts to observation facilities,” an official said.

“At quarantine centres it would be easier to monitor mild symptoms and a person can be immediately shifted to hospital if needed. We have come across multiple instances of Covid-19 patients being taken to hospital in a critical condition.”

Besides, asymptomatic carriers of the virus are as much a source of infection as the ones showing symptoms. “Hence, there is an urgent need to get asymptomatic carriers quarantined,” another official of the health department said.

“School buildings in the city as well as districts will be converted into quarantine facilities,” the official said.

The Covid-19 task force set up by chief minister Mamata Banerjee has recommended setting up of more quarantine or observation facilities, officials said.

The state health department also started procuring a large number of items required for both hospitals and quarantine centres.

The items include candles, garbage bags and bins, brooms, mops, fire extinguishers, e-toilets, generators, mattresses, bed sheets, pillows, pillow covers, towels, rubber sheets, blankets, mosquito repellents and spoons.

The government is also buying ventilators for Covid-19 patients in a critical condition and personal protective equipment and masks for those involved in their treatment.

According to the state health department, around 60,000 people have been “enlisted for observation/surveillance” at quarantine centres. Many of them have come out after spending the required number of days in quarantine.

Almost an equal number of people have been asked to be quarantined at home. Close to 3,000 of them have completed their stay in isolation.

“The problem with home surveillance is the difficulty we face in keeping track of the individuals daily. Also, in many households it’s difficult for a person in home quarantine to stay completely isolated from others in the family,” a member of the task force said.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, in a recent video conference, asked officials of all districts to set up quarantine facilities. She asked the authorities to use both private and government facilities for the purpose.