More than 21 per cent of the Chennai’s population has undergone home quarantine since the COVID-19 outbreak in March. According to Greater Chennai Corporation data, around 17.31 lakh persons were under home quarantine for different reasons, including contacts of positive persons, family members of patients and travel quarantine.
Chennai:
Of the 17.31 lakh persons, as many as 3,34,792 are presently under home quarantine for 14 days and remaining 13.64 lakh persons have already completed it.
Among the 3.34 lakh persons, 20,738 persons were identified as symptomatic at the fever camps run by the civic body. As many as 63,010 persons were family members of COVID-19 positive persons.
“Of the 3.34 lakh persons presently under home quarantine, 2.34 lakh persons came into the cycle between August 7 to August 13. More than 35,500 persons are under home quarantine after they gave samples for testing. Once the test results are ready and test negative, they will be released,” an official said.
The data also reveals that around 4.56 lakh persons had been under home quarantine for giving their samples for testing, which is the second-highest number of persons sent under home quarantine only after the contacts of the infected persons. More than 5.82 lakh persons among the 17.31 lakh persons are contacts of the infected persons.
Meanwhile, of the 10,608 persons, who had given samples for testing on Thursday, 58 persons remained not-traceable, while 1,276 persons were referred to other districts.
The civic body has been sending asymptomatic positive persons to home quarantine if they have a separate room and toilet facilities at their houses. Once they complete 14-day home quarantine, the civic body would remove restrictions.
Meanwhile, Chennai Corporation Commissioner G Prakash attributed the success of home quarantine system in the city to the FOCUS volunteers, who have been appointed to help the home quarantined persons. “Achieving the 17 lakh number is a good outcome of civic body’s teamwork and massive field operations through our focus volunteers,” he said.