CHENNAI: Tightening the screws further in a bid to check the spread of COVID-19, the Tamil Nadu government on Monday announced more measures including conducting increased and aggressive testing (not less than 90,000 tests per day) in the coming days, expediting contact tracing, increasing the number of fever camps and declaring areas with more than three infected persons as micro-containment zones.
The government also requested the public to step out of their houses only for essential work and appealed to all those above 45 years of age to get vaccinated. Besides, the government has requested all frontline workers who are above 18 to get vaccinated within the next two weeks.
An official release issued here after Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami chaired a high-level meeting at the secretariat said there was a failure to adhere to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) at family events, meetings etc. Besides, clusters of infection have been caused due to failure to adhere to the SOPs by schools, banks, establishments and factories.
A committee headed by Commissioner of Revenue Administration K Phanindra Reddy has been formed to monitor the situation and take appropriate steps. Covid Monitoring Officers have been appointed for all districts and Field Support Teams for all zones in the Chennai Corporation.
After taking stock of the situation, the Chief Minister said the number of RT-PCR tests per day should be increased and at least 90,000 tests per day should be ensured although the positivity rate remains below five percent. Further, in the containment zones, increased and aggressive testing should be conducted and test results should be conveyed within 24 hours.
The Chief Minister further said that contact tracing should be expedited to identify those who were in touch with infected persons. At least 25 to 30 persons should be traced immediately and they should be subjected to RT-PCR tests and further steps like isolation and treatment should be carried out.
Palaniswami said across Tamil Nadu, the number of fever camps should be increased to identify the infected persons. So far, 8.92 lakh such camps have been conducted and 14.47 lakh persons have been identified with symptoms like cold and fever.
He said if more than three persons get infected in any particular area, it should be declared as a micro-containment zone. Depending on the intensity of the infection, the affected persons should be admitted to the nearby Covid Care Centre or exclusive Covid hospitals. All districts should have sufficient number of ventilators, high flow nasal cannula, medicines, PPE kits and 108 ambulances.
The Chief Minister further said all eligible persons should get vaccinated and the authorities should ensure credibility about vaccination. So far, 37.8 lakh persons have been vaccinated in Tamil Nadu and till April 11, 54.85 lakh doses of vaccines have been received from the central government.
Vaccination camps should be organised at factories, government offices, workplaces, markets, multi-storey buildings, etc. so that more number of persons could be vaccinated. All government and private hospitals should adhere to the SOPs for reducing the deaths due to Covid, he said.
People, while stepping out of their homes, should compulsorily wear face masks and maintain six feet physical distance besides washing their hands frequently using soaps and sanitisers. There should be strict adherence to the SOPs at theatres, fruit markets, shops and commercial complexes. Those who are working in these places should get vaccinated, he added.
The number of active Covid cases, which stood at 4,000 in the first week of March, had now gone up to 42,000 and the daily number of deaths due to the infection has also increased.