Three-colour card system introduced

After much persuasion, samples collected from 153 residents in Melapalayam; 16 test positive

12/04/2020, SPECIAL
CORRESPONDENT,TIRUNELVELI

Persuasion: A volunteer issuing the colour card pass to a resident of Melapalayam in Palayamkottai on Saturday. A. SHAIKMOHIDEEN

With Melapalayam registering 32 COVID-19 cases so far, the corporation has started distributing cards in three colours - green, blue and red - to the residents there to prevent crowding in shops and vegetable markets.

The card system has been introduced to curtail number of people coming out of their houses to purchase grocery items or vegetables every day. Different colour cards have been distributed to different areas.

Those holding green card can come out on Monday and Thursday, blue card on Tuesday and Friday, and red card on Wednesday and Saturday.

They can come out of their houses between 6 a.m. and 1 p.m. and carry the card and an identity proof. They should be aged above 15 years and below 60 years. They must strictly follow physical distancing.

Volunteers are distributing the cards. “While distributing the card, we ask the residents to abide by the regulations and cooperate with the officials in preventing community spread of the virus,” said Milleth Ismail, one of the volunteers.

As 175 persons were found to be in close contact with the 16 COVID-19 positive patients from Melapalayam who participated in a religious conference in Delhi, the officials tried to take blood and swab samples from the ‘high risk contacts.’ After a lot of persuasion, 153 of them gave samples of which 16 tested positive to take the total number of COVID-19 patients from Melapalayam to 32.

The remaining 22 persons refused to cooperate with corporation and revenue officials and hence samples could not be collected from them.

Locking their houses from inside, they did not come out arguing that they were healthy. The officials spoke to them over mobile phone. When they stopped attending to the calls, the officials, through public address system, requested them to come for the mandatory test since they were close to the COVID – 19 positive patients. A team of Melapalayam locals, including a doctor, an advocate, representatives from a Muslim organisation and Jamaaths, continued the persuasion till Friday night but in vain.

“As the attempt continued on Saturday also, they finally agreed to give samples in the evening,” said S.S.A. Ghani, Tirunelveli City district president of Social Democratic Party of India, who was one among the negotiators.

Now health officials are worried about people from this containment zone stealthily straying into other parts of Tirunelveli. “Since all roads leading to Melapalayam have been sealed by the police, some people are going to Tirunelveli Town and Pettai in the early hours through fields and return at night. This may lead to community transmission of the viral infection, which will be disastrous,” warned a doctor attached to the Department of Public Health.