Lockdown aids health workers to do more testing

Parts of Madurai district observed a total lockdown on Sunday with all commercial establishments remaining shut and people staying indoors. Only medical shops and milk outlets were allowed to do business. There was strict vigilance as police personnel barricaded arterial roads to prevent movement of vehicles.

Deputy Director of Health Services Priya Raj said the lockdown since June 24 had provided health workers the space and time to contain, incubate and trace COVID-19 cases in a better manner. Although cases were on the rise, the spread will be contained when people stayed indoors.

“We use our manpower judiciously as workers go door-to-door in urban and rural areas where people tested positive and check for fever cases. We are not limiting the exercise to the Corporation area but the municipalities of Melur, Tirumangalam and Usilampatti which are not under the lockdown. This way we hope to keep the surge under check,” she said.

Testing had risen significantly in the last two weeks with a minimum of 1,200 samples being collected each day. The lockdown had been helpful as we could plan and act in a better way, she said.

Collector T.G. Vinay, Corporation Commissioner S. Visakan. health officials and representatives of private hospitals in Madurai took part in a video conference with District Monitoring Officer B. Chandra Mohan. A source privy to the meeting said they were planning to bolster the bed strength at private hospitals so that every patient gets a bed.