New 24x7 screening centre becomes operational

CHENNAI: A 24x7 screening centre at Kendriya Vidyalaya on Island Grounds that is equipped to handle up to 700 patients at a time became functional from Saturday evening. MA Siddique, Secretary of Commercial Taxes, who has been nominated as special coordinator for Greater Chennai Corporation, and Corporation Commissioner G Prakash inspected the facility on Saturday.

“The facility is equipped to handle 700 patients now and will be ramped up to handle 1,000 patients within a few days,” Siddique told reporters. The screening centre is expected to lower the burden on government hospitals. So far, around 50 per cent of all Covid positive patients had visited screening centres, and the aim was to increase this to 70 per cent, Corporation Commissioner Prakash said.

Calling it an effect of the vaccination drive, Prakash said that only around 619 out of the 60,000 frontline workers had tested Covid positive so far. “We have covered 90 per cent of the frontline workers (in the vaccination drive),” Prakash said.

Violation of quarantine norms to attract fine
From Saturday, violation of quarantine norms by those under home isolation after testing Covid positive or their family members will attract a fine of `2,000 the first time. “If they violate the norms for the second time, they will be admitted to Covid care centres,” Prakash said.