MADURAI/THENI/COIMBATORE/TIRUCHY: The city of Madurai and a few adjoining rural civic bodies will undergo a seven-day intense lockdown starting from June 24. The city corporation has deployed a team of 1,400 officials, who would go on a door-to-door survey to identify those with fever and other symptoms of Covid-19.
According to Corporation Commissioner S Visakan, the survey would help in early detection of the infection. “Each official is allotted 300 houses. They have been directed to cover 100 houses a day. Thus, members of every house would be surveyed once in three days,” he told Express.
Around 105 mobile fever clinics established in all four zones would carry out tests for those found with symptoms. The civic body chief further urged the public to cooperate with the officials and inform the civic body at helpline number 8428425000, if they find any of their neighbours with fever.
Similarly, a contact tracing team, headed by four assistant revenue officers, has been constituted in each four zones. Around 120 revenue officials along with health officials from 31 Urban Primary Health Centers (UPHCs) have been deployed to collect details of Covid-19 patients, their primary and secondary contacts. The medical officers at each UPHC have been instructed to submit a report with the data submitted by the field workers.
Though the current containment protocol calls for demarcation of streets only when more than three patients from different houses test positive, he said that over 300 streets, even those with single positive case, have been demarcated in the city limit.
Bodi police station shut
The Bodi town police station was shut on Tuesday after a sub-inspector, eight constables and a home guard tested positive for the coronavirus infection. All the infected persons have been quarantined at Government Medical College and Hospital in K Vilakku. The police station was disinfected on Tuesday morning.
A temporary police outpost has been established at Flower Bazaar, and it would function as Bodi police station. Sources said that the contacts of the infected personnel have not been traced so far.
Rajasthan bus seized
A driver was booked and an omnibus was seized in Coimbatore for allegedly transporting 30 migrant labourers from Rajasthan into the district without valid e-passes.All the passengers were instructed to be on a 14-day quarantine after undergoing Covid tests, police said.
The speeding bus, with Rajasthan number plate, was intercepted at a checkpost near Karumathampatti on Tuesday around 6 am. During a check, police team deployed at the checpost found that none of the passengers, migrant labourers belonging to Rajasthan, had e-passes, police said, adding that the e-pass produced by the driver was found to be fake.
Police booked the driver, D Sugaram (26) of Rajasthan, under two sections 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 269 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the IPC. The bus was also seized, police said.
“The driver was transporting the people from Rajasthan and crossed many check posts by showing the fake document,” police said, adding that the plan was to take the workers to a private knitting firm, which has branches in Coimbatore and Perundurai.
Retail store staff positive
An employee of a popular retail store on NSB Road in Tiruchy tested positive on Tuesday, triggering panic among co-workers. The store employs at least 500 people and enjoys huge footfall daily. Sources said the employee, a resident of Thuraiyur, was subjected to a Covid test on Monday, but the store continued to function on Monday and also on Tuesday. As of 8 pm on Tuesday, the store remained open, sources added.
