KOCHI: The pall of Covid gloom hanging over Chellanam is slowly clearing, with more good news than bad coming in over the past few days. Total enforcement of a complete lockdown and persistent efforts by the health department have paid off - the number of positive cases reported from the area has petered out since the start of the lockdown, no fresh cases were reported on Saturday and only six cases were reported on Sunday. While the residents are a relieved lot, officials advocate caution and vigilance. Being a fishing community with closely packed residences, just a spark can trigger another wave of a fresh outbreak.
Over 250 Covid positive cases have been reported in Chellanam since July 3. Considering the severity of the spread in the thickly populated coastal area, triple lockdown was imposed in the region on July 13. A Poonthura-like situation, which seemed inevitable, has been averted by the timely preventive action and tireless efforts on ground.
The containment strategy adopted by the health department and the police seems to have worked, especially in wards 15, 16, and 17, where the people were at high risk. “Active surveillance was launched in the area. Three mobile sample collection units were deployed and 50-60 tests were conducted daily. The focus was mainly on wards 15 and 16, as the residents there were categorised under high risk and hundreds of them were in the primary contact lists. The health officials visited the houses of people in the wards on a daily basis, and swabs were taken for testing,” said a health official.
Triple lockdown in the coastal areas came as a big relief for the district health department. “If lockdown had not been imposed in these areas, it was certain that we would have had a tough time controlling the spread. Though Chellanam is reporting a lesser number of positive cases, people should be vigilant, as the situation can deteriorate anytime. It is too early to say anything,” the official said.
Situation under control but vigil a must: Min
Minister V S Sunil Kumar, who is in charge of the Covid fight in Ernakulam, said that among the clusters in the district, Chellanam being a thickly populated area was a risk-prone zone. “We were able to control the spread of the infection in Chellanam, but people should be vigilant as a small spark of infection in the community is bound to upend the whole scenario,” said V S Sunil Kumar.
Since Tuesday, Covid positive cases in the region have come down. On Tuesday, only four positive cases were reported, followed by one on Wednesday. While 11 cases were reported on Friday, no case was identified on Thursday and Saturday from the area. Residents now hope that the restrictions will soon be lifted so that they can get back to normal life.
“Police patrolling ensures that no one steps out of their houses unnecessarily. Through volunteer groups and Amrutham - the State Police’s home delivery service - essentials were supplied to families. Now we hope that the containment zone tag gets removed quickly, ” said Tinu, a resident of Chellanam.