Containment zones are back; corpn barricades 10 streets

Containment zones are back; corpn barricades 10 streets

Officials Carry Out Preventive Measures

Komal.Gautham@timesgroup.com

Chennai:3.10.2020

Containment zones are back in the city, just 10 days after they were removed.

On September 29, 7th Cross Street at Nolambur in Valasaravakkam zone recorded 10 fresh cases making it a containment street. On September 16, four streets in Madhavaram reported fresh cases. It was the last time containment zones were reported.

As per a press release by Greater Chennai Corporation on Friday, about 10 streets in the Kodambakkam, Valasaravakkam, Alandur and Sholinganallur zones have been made containment zones after they reported between four and 14 fresh Covid-19 cases. Three streets in Kodambakkam reported 6, 8 and 14 cases, four streets in Alandur recorded 7, 9, 4 and 5 cases and two streets in Sholinganallur reported six cases each apart from Nolambur 7th Cross Treet in Valasaravakkam zone. Corporation officials are now carrying out regular Covid-19 containment work.

An area is barricaded and declared a containment zone when more than five cases are reported. All people there are tested and are advised to be under home quarantine. Focus volunteers and door-to-door surveillance workers help them for all their essential needs. They are regularly monitored until the cases come down to below three.

Last month, corporation removed containment zones and stopped barricading houses having Covid-19 positive cases. However, the number of cases has been started steadily increasing in many areas where economic activity began. Alandur is the only zone to have reported less growth in the number of cases but it has reported the highest number of containment streets in the last two days. “People are extremely cooperative and we are doing focused testing and especially ensuring that the elderly are safe. New cases are being reported in the wards located in the peripheral locations of the zone. However there are no new clusters,” said zonal officer P V Srinivasan.

Civic body officials said they were focusing on workplaces now as they were fears of them becoming new clusters. They also conduct tests at markets and ensure that people wear masks and following social distancing norms in public places.