In the wake of COVID-19 cases increasing in the city, the Greater Chennai Corporation has planned to re-introduce door-to-door surveillance from Monday.
The civic body plans to bring back the system of checking residents for symptoms, including fever, by deputing over 12,000 volunteers back on the streets to control the pandemic from getting out of hand.
The COVID-19 management plan by the civic body involves home surveillance, strict monitoring of those who are under home quarantine and ramping up of fever clinics, along with testing of persons and speeding up vaccination.
The COVID-19 management plan was revealed by Commissioner G. Prakash at a meeting held in the city on Wednesday. Mr. Prakash said 12,000 volunteers for taking up home surveillance would be recruited by this week and would be deputed to carry out inspection from Monday. He also said 4,000 volunteers would be posted as part of the Home Quarantine Monitoring System (HQMS) to keep a strict watch on those who have tested positive for COVID-19.
Mr. Prakash, highlighting the effectiveness of the micro-management system which helped in controlling the pandemic, said fever clinics have been proposed to be increased, for which more than 100 medical specialists would be recruited, as also for ramping up the testing of people. “Already more than 40% of the population in the city has been tested and so the testing rate is proposed to be increased to 15,000 per day to cover more people,” he said.
The civic body plans to go for full-fledged pandemic prevention based on the meeting the Chief Secretary had with the medical committee on Tuesday.
Mr. Prakash said vaccinating those above 45 years of age would begin on Monday. Pointing to the fact that Chennai had vaccinated over 5 lakh people, among the highest in the country, he said transmission could be reduced only if the vaccination rate was increased.
