It was a move that was supposed to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu’s urban areas. A total lockdown for four days in three municipalities - Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai - from April 26 to April 29, while Salem and Tiruppur would witness similar restrictions for three days between April 26 to April 28.
But instead, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami’s announcement of a four-day lockdown was met with fear and panic. Residents in these cities, especially Chennai, resorted to panic buying on April 25, rushing to grocery stores to hoard provisions, paying no attention to physical distancing as large crowds gathered outside supermarkets. This despite the state government making it clear that vegetables will be available (although only in push carts and mobile shops) during the four days. The same crowds were witnessed at markets the day after the full lockdown was eased in cities like Chennai.
So, the question many are asking now is did Tamil Nadu end up losing the gains that it had made in the last few weeks? And shouldn’t the government have expected and prepared for the panic buying and the rush at markets?
Ramesh*, an official from the Greater Chennai Corporation told TNM that it was a natural human reaction. “People have been inside their houses for quite some time. So they behaved like school children when they stepped out. It is a natural reaction, which should have been anticipated when doing such announcements,” he said. However, he added that people must have awareness to adopt precautions when stepping out of their houses.
While the incubation period of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease is between 1-14 days, there have been cases detected days after this two-week period. Officials of the Chennai Corporation are bracing for a possible increase in the number of new cases of COVID-19, ramping up testing in areas that fall under its jurisdiction.
A senior official in the government of Tamil Nadu told TNM that it (possibility of higher cases) is definitely a cause for concern, more so since many residents in the containment zones are not wearing masks. He also pointed out that even when wearing masks, people don’t follow the right protocols like talking without lowering the masks and not touching the masks.
Another officer at the Chennai Corporation, Manohar*, said that precautionary measures like increasing the number of policemen around containment zones and more frequent disinfection drives have begun in areas where crowding was noticed during the days just before April 26.
“We are also making announcements through megaphone about protecting oneself from the disease -- like wearing masks, washing hands and maintaining adequate distance from another person -- to keep reminding people. People do wear masks mostly when they come out because they are scared of the police. But we are encouraging the public to wear it even inside their homes because the times are tough,” he added.
Given these incidents, is the Corporation expecting an increase in the number of new cases of COVID-19 in the coming days?
“Yes. But I would not attribute the increase to the crowding on April 25 alone. We have increased our random testing sample size considerably over the past few days. So it is natural to see the numbers go up,” Ramesh said. Chennai has been testing around 3000 samples daily in the past few days and the number of positive cases reported from the city has also been on the rise.
The district has witnessed a surge in the number of infections from the Koyambedu vegetable market cluster, which has since spread across the state. Over 300 cases of COVID-19 have been reported to have originated directly or indirectly from the Koyambedu market. Around 2000 persons in Chennai alone have been traced and quarantined for having visited the market in the recent days and around 8000 persons are being traced and quarantined in other districts in Tamil Nadu. The only respite for the state government with regards to Chennai has been that around 95% of the cases confirmed so far are asymptomatic. This means that they can be treated even in their homes and that they need not be brought to the hospitals, which is reserved for more serious cases.
Officials across the city, however, are reiterating that there is no need to panic and worry. “People must not be careless either. They should follow the advisory that the government has given on so far to protect themselves from getting infected,” Ramesh explained.