Chennai lockdown: City's borders to be fortified with multilayer checking from June 19

The Chief Secretary also called for publicity campaigns to create awareness among the public for ensuring better discipline on social distancing and wearing masks

Medical team of a mobile hospital taking a swab test at police quarters at Kilpauk in Chennai on Tuesday. (Photo | R Sathish Babu/EPS)

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary K Shanmugam has directed the Chennai Corporation Commissioner and Collectors of three adjoining districts to strictly enforce the intensified lockdown for 12 days that begins from June 19 by restricting the movement of people within and outside to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

“The focus should also be on streamlined testing, patient management, effective contact tracing, quarantine and containment area management and ensuring the smooth supply of essentials in the quarantine houses and in the containment area to make the lockdown a success," the Chief Secretary said in his letter.

Shanmugam said the administration should focus on issues like strengthening the surveillance and survey of the containment area/quarantine houses and organising fever camps in areas outside the containment area for the early detection and testing of those suspected to have COVID-19.

The Chief Secretary also urged the administrations in the three districts and the Chennai Corporation to mount publicity campaigns to create awareness among the public for ensuring better discipline on social distancing and wearing masks. Public should be made aware that use of masks is compulsory and any violation is punishable with a fine.

The following are the key directions given for the intensified lockdown:

• Borders of Chennai city police limits should be fortified with multilayer checking.
• Internal movement should be controlled by putting up barricades in critical locations.
• Strict perimeter control of containment area, quarantine houses and houses of isolated patients in home treatment through security, CCTV and community vigilance.
• Coordinate smooth supply of essential commodities.
• NGOs, volunteers in large numbers can be used for giving publicity to improve compliance and willingness to come forward for testing and treatment.
• Active surveillance and survey in containment area and quarantine houses to identify persons with COVID symptoms for early testing.
• Intensive coverage of fever clinics in areas other than containment zones to detect Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) cases.
• Streamline testing procedure without any waiting time and put in place as many testing units as possible for quick sample collection.
• Ensure quarantine of persons coming for testing with symptoms, until the test results are obtained to reduce further spread.
• Ensure 100 percent identification of all home contacts and other contacts and quarantine them within 24 hours.
• Geofencing of quarantine contacts to prevent any violation and strict action against violators.
• Ensure psychological counselling to patients in need.
• Strictly enforce restriction in movement through CCTV cameras, community vigilance etc.
• Keep a close watch on the health of aged and comorbid cases.
• Better coordination for allotment of beds in private hospitals.