With maximum cases in the state, how is Chennai fighting coronavirus?

With 149 positive coronavirus patients, the maximum in the state, and people jamming the roads flouting the prohibitory orders, Chennai with a population of 80 lakh is struggling to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Of the 15 zones that the city has been split for administrative convenience, only two do not have any positive COVID-19 patient, while the maximum number of cases (81) have been reported from the densely populated North Chennai.

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Yet, traffic snarl was reported at Koyambedu on Wednesday morning where the integrated vegetable and fruit market is located, signifying the lack of seriousness among the general public.

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) was also forced to close a vegetable market in the city’s shopping district of T. Nagar after people failed to maintain social distance. But the GCC has made prevention of COVID-19 spread as its prime goal and is surveying all 18 lakh households in its jurisdiction on a daily basis to screen people for any symptoms.

Screening of households

The GCC has hired 10,000 members of Self Help Groups (SHGs) for three months and has deployed them for screening activities. The exercise of screening every household in the city began on Sunday with members of the SHGs visiting every household and collecting details about their health status.

“We consider the entire city as a containment zone as we have decided to adopt a saturation approach to prevent further spread of COVID-19. One worker is asked to visit 100 to 200 households a day and collect all details about the health of those surveyed. They also bring a list of people with fever and cold,” GCC’s Joint Commissioner (Health) P Madhusudan Reddy told DH.

The list of people with fever and cold are handed over to officials who pass on their details to 46 Rapid Response Teams consisting of health care professionals and nurses who would visit those persons immediately to check their symptoms. Also, people with hypertension, diabetes and severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) and pregnant women are not just screened but are asked repeatedly not to step out of their homes.

“Healthcare professionals ascertain whether these persons are potential COVID-19 patients by checking their symptoms. If they feel the person could be Corona positive, they recommend swab test for them,” Reddy explained.

In addition, the city has 67 ‘containment zones’, which are located in the immediate vicinity of the houses of positive patients, where the influx and outflow of the people are regulated by placing barricades.
Containment activities

The containment zone is demarcating 8 km, including a buffer of 2-3 km, in the radius of the locality where positive patients lived before being shifted to hospitals. Though the city has 67 active containment zones, with the number of cases increasing every day, Reddy says the entire city is being treated as a containment zone due to the high number of positive patients.

“No area is closed. We only barricade the streets in the immediate vicinity of the index cases. We only regulate the influx and outflux of people in these areas. This is necessary to prevent further outspread of COVID-19 as there may have been local contact. We are just restricting the movement of people,” Alby John, Regional Deputy Commissioner (South), GCC, told DH.

He added that passive surveillance like regular announcement through a microphone on the precautions needed to be taken and what needs to be done if one develops symptoms are also being made in almost all areas on a daily basis, besides disinfecting all houses and public places in the containment zones.

The GCC has also begun collecting swab samples of family members of COVID-19 positive patients at their homes to ensure that people under home quarantine don’t step out even for giving tests. “We also plan to set up sample collection kiosks across the city by this week-end to prevent people from travelling to hospitals. We are working on this,” Reddy added.
Measures to avoid people leaving homes

To prevent people from stepping out of their homes to buy vegetables and provisions, the GCC and Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) are taking measures to ensure that essential items reach the people’s doorsteps. GCC has tied with the Tamil Nadu Traders’ Association to launch fair price mobile markets across the city in the next few days.
5,000 tri-cycles and 2,000 small motor vehicles will be deployed by the GCC to set up these mobile shops. “These vehicles would come around the city every day for people to buy provisions and vegetables. This is to discourage people from coming out of their homes,” a GCC official said.

He also said the traders who operate these shops will wear masks and gloves and will be provided with special vehicle passes to help procure and transport materials.