The Tamil Nadu government has identified the area around 2,500 houses in Chennai as the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak in the state. At present, Tamil Nadu has 41 confirmed cases of Covid-19, including one patient who succumbed to the infection and another who was treated and discharged by doctors after testing negative post the treatment.

According to inputs, these 2,500 houses within a five-kilometre radius include that of individuals who have tested positive for Covid-19. Each and every house in this focus area will be subjected to daily door-to-door inspections by relevant authorities. In addition, houses surrounding this focus area will witness verification by health workers once every two days. This exercise will be carried out for a period of 28 days.

For this purpose, 2500 DBC workers, 1500 Anganwadi workers, 750 nurses and 1500 school teachers on the payroll of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) will be employed.

Apart from this, the Tamil Nadu government has decided to screen everyone within an 8-km radius of every Covid-19 patient. Each team comprising a nurse, an Anganwadi worker and an authorised social worker will be responsible for screening 50 hours. These teams will check for symptoms such as cough, respiratory problems and fever.

Special attention will be given to the elderly, pregnant women and those with co-morbid conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and low immunity.