Health Department plans complete lockdown in Puducherry on Sundays

The aim is to break the chain of transmission in the spread of COVID-19, as cases are rising, officials said

A woman being screened with a thermal scanner at JIPMER’s Urban Health Centre in Vazhakulam in Puducherry. Photograph used for representational purposes only

The Health Department has strongly recommended a complete lockdown on Sundays, starting this week, to break the chain of transmission in view of the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Union Territory.

The total number of novel coronavirus cases which, crossed 1,000 mark on July 6, continue to spike, with 100 cases being reported for the first time since the pandemic outbreak on Wednesday. The cumulative total has touched 1,200 as on Thursday.

“The day-to-day spike is still unpredictable but we are definitely witnessing a gradual increase in the number of cases in the last two to three weeks. So we have strongly recommended lockdown on Sundays to break the chain of transmission. We expect detailed guidelines to be issued by the district administration shortly,” a senior Health Department official told The Hindu .

The increase in number of cases has to be stabilised, if not reduced, to ramp up the existing health facilities with the Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Research Institute (IGGMC&RI), the designated COVID-19 hospital directly under the control of the territorial administration, almost attaining saturation in terms of bed capacity.

“JIPMER too, is available, but it has limited capacity in terms of managing COVID-19 positive persons because it is already burdened with other patients, including with cancer and heart ailments,” said another senior official.

The Department has also decided to shift around 150 asymptomatic patients from IGGMC&RI to private medical colleges by Saturday. Currently, there are 373 patients under treatment at the Medical College. “At the most, we could add another 100 beds at the Medical College. We want to reduce the in-patient capacity by half from its present strength, so that we can admit more symptomatic COVID-19 patients,” he said.

The Department is also augmenting its manpower strength by recruiting temporary staff, including doctors. “We have already mooted the file for staff recruitment. Around 200 staff would be taken on contract basis, “ the official said.