A total of 283 people who have been in touch with the family of the 54-year-old man who died of COVID-19 are under home quarantine after a contract tracing exercise. His 44-year-old wife and two sons aged 24 and 22 have also tested positive.
District Collector T. G. Vinay said that as the family had been in touch with friends, relatives and colleagues from work, all of them have been placed under home quarantine and health workers have been making visits to their houses to ensure that they are healthy.
“The wife and the two sons of the COVID-19 victim are asymptomatic and have currently been placed under isolation”, he said and added that others who have been in close contact with family - particularly those who visited the mosque which was frequented by the 54-year-old victim, have been asked to stay strictly indoors.
Prior to identifying the disease, the deceased had visited two clinics, a get-together function, a reception and a private hospital before being admitted at the Government Rajaji Hospital on Saturday.
“The wife of the deceased had not left the house. The sons had visited relatives, been to the funeral and had been in touch with their employees. We are ensuring that our ground-level health staff are overseeing their health status,” he said.
After interacting with the family, the Health department and the Corporation have begun working on a micro plan to monitor areas where the spread could have taken place. The Collector said that they are currently dividing streets into sectors to ensure that either an anganwadi worker, a Village Health Nurse or a trained Red Cross volunteer checks in on those who are home quarantined.
Although they are monitoring, he said that the 283 persons were not being tested although World Health Organisation (WHO) director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has recommended expanding the testing.
A person who has been home quarantined as he was a regular visitor to the mosque frequented by the deceased, said that he will be able to manage for the next three days without groceries but will have to step out soon to restock. “We are still unclear about who we should approach to shop. We must figure a way out,” he added.
