Surveillance activities in the State will become more difficult with people pouring in by road and air in the last phase of the lockdown.
While the people arriving by air are more manageable as their quarantine and treatment, if needed, will be facilitated by the State in a systematic manner, health authorities are a little sceptical about keeping track of all those reaching the State by road from various places.
Even though a system is in place, there could be breaches, says a volunteer working in the health sector. Even when people are queueing up at check-posts with e-passes, there could be a few who slip by without registration and passes.
Various routes
People were coming in through various routes, hiding on trucks or walking even during the earlier phases of the lockdown when the government had not allowed movement of people, the volunteer says.
It certainly would be a bit difficult to keep a tab on all those crossing the borders, says a senior health official on condition of anonymity.
The challenges have been discussed in meetings and solutions are also being charted by identifying problem areas, the official says.
Digital platforms
The digital platforms used by the government help track all those entering the State borders through proper channel.
Even when it could be officials from various departments — police, revenue, health — overseeing the entry of people at various points, the data are collected and collated in a single portal that makes identifying people easy and tracking their quarantine period.
There have been various checks in the district that does not share borders with the neighbouring States, says Ernakulam District Medical Officer N.K. Kuttappan. There is a separate surveillance system for truck drivers here, which is helpful in keeping in the loop the truck drivers and the contacts they make.
The surveillance team had quickly moved into high-risk quarantine the contacts of one such driver from Tamil Nadu who turned positive after going back.
He had delivered eggs from Namakkal to the Koothattukulam market on May 3 and had gone back the next day. But he tested positive at the Vennandoor check-post in Tamil Nadu.“There are also protocols to be followed at the market for loading-unloading and many other trade-related activities,” says Dr. Kuttappan.