As Covid-19 cases rise marginally, Tamil Nadu goes for local containment

With the daily Covid-19 cases showing a marginal increase in the past few days, the Tamil Nadu government has empowered district collectors to go in for local containment efforts, including imposing additional restrictions in their area if the need arises.

The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR & CE) department has ordered the closure of famous temples in many parts of the state to avoid overcrowding during several local festivals falling this week. The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has shut down crowded markets till August 9, while the administration in Coimbatore, one of the worst-affected districts in the second Covid-19 wave, has gone for additional restrictions.

The Health Department is also proactive in creating awareness about people’s participation in preventing the third wave of Covid-19 infections. Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday released a video explaining the precautions that one should take to keep the virus away. The government is asking people to follow Covid-19 appropriate behaviour by wearing a face mask and washing hands regularly.

The number of fresh Covid-19 cases daily which was hovering around 1,800 has witnessed a marginal increase over the last couple of days, prompting the administration to step in and ensure that containment efforts are launched immediately. From 1,756 fresh cases on July 28, the number rose to 1,859 on July 29, further to 1,947 on July 30 and 1,986 on July 31.

Also read: RT-PCR test mandatory for those entering Tamil Nadu from Kerala

Tamil Nadu was one of the worst-affected states during the second wave of Covid-19 infections in April-May this year, with the daily cases touching a peak of 36,000. However, sustained efforts and ramping up of vaccination drive ensured that the numbers came down gradually.

“We don’t want to take any chance this time. More than the numbers, it is the timing of the marginal increase reported in the number of cases that bothers us. The increase has come two weeks after we opened relaxations in a major way. Though the increase is marginal, we are not letting the guard down,” J Radhakrishnan, Principal Secretary (Health), told DH.

He said the district collectors have been asked to go for local containment efforts as the situation demands after learning from prior experience. The authorities thought people will take enough precautions before the second wave taking the advice from the government seriously, but it was not the case, Radhakrishnan added.

“We are taking steps to ensure nothing goes wrong this time,” he said. Health Minister Ma Subramanian had told DH in an interview in early July that the state has decided not to dismantle the temporary Covid-19 infrastructure till December this year as part of preparations to handle any exponential rise in the number of Covid-19 cases.

Public health expert Dr K Kolandaswamy told DH that aim of the local containment measures is to delay or blunt the third wave of infections in the state. “Closing down closed and contained spaces is a very good move that will allow us to buy time for an effective vaccination strategy. If we delay the third wave by six months, we can administer another 3 crore-plus doses at the current rate. The time that we but will help us increase immunization cover,” Dr Kolandaswamy said.

The state has so far administered over 2 crore vaccine doses.