This story is from August 10, 2020

Covid-19: Theni moves from green to red zone, looks for causes

Theni district has been witnessing a spike in Covid-19 cases in the past two weeks unlike the other southern districts, which have been reporting a considerable dip in numbers. The district started reporting over 100 cases only on July 3 when it logged 128.
Covid-19: Theni moves from green to red zone, looks for causes
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MADURAI: Theni district has been witnessing a spike in Covid-19 cases in the past two weeks unlike the other southern districts, which have been reporting a considerable dip in numbers. The district started reporting over 100 cases only on July 3 when it logged 128. The daily tally started crossing 200 on July 24, 300 on August 1and went up to 454 on August 8. Authorities say the testing capacity had also risen from just over 500 initially to 3,750 samples a day on August 8.
It has 3,014 active cases now out of a total 7,898 and has reported 94 deaths as of Sunday.
Having been in the green zone during April/May and taken the lead in the state in certain disease-control initiatives, the recent trend has come as a dampener to the stakeholders. While authorities claim increased testing is one reason for the rise in cases, it’s a fact that the district had dropped its guard.
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Theni’s first 20 cases were those who attended the jamaat congregation in New Delhi, which the district administration deftly contained with focused testing. It was also in Theni that the first initiative in the state to deliver vegetable bags at doorsteps was launched to prevent people from coming out. Thereafter, a localized app was launched to help people obtain passes for movement within the district. Next, a “gold reward scheme’’ was launched to encourage people to get their groceries delivered at doorstep, though it could not be implemented properly.
Authorities say though there are three check posts to monitor people coming into the district, many continue to take inner roads to escape screening. “People come on two-wheelers through the numerous ways and many antenatal mothers also tested positive in the district after coming from other districts including Chennai,’’ said a health department official. The positivity rate which was as high as 30% about a week ago has come down to 15% though the cases remain high.

Theni Government Medical College dean, Dr M Ilangovan, said as many as 174 pregnant women and 165 antenatal mothers had tested positive till August 7. In all, 112 delivered, including 64 through caesarean section. About 50% of people in the district are found to be wearing masks in public and social distancing is a challenge in the villages. Two days ago, deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam, who was conducting inspections in the district, saw a funeral crowd of about 500 at Vadugapatti, all of them sans face masks. He summoned the police personnel on duty and admonished them for not enforcing rules.
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