Koyambedu cluster still active, new cases daily: Official

A Chennai Corporation source said that the four cases, all contacts of affected persons, were tested positive in division 127 on Wednesday and two such cases were identified on Thursday. The Koyambedu Wholesale Market Complex (KWMC) gained notoriety after several traders and workers contracted the virus and inadvertently spread to their family members and contacts across the State.

"We are taking containment measures to stop the spread of the virus outside the division and also inside the locality. The move of distributing kabasura kudineer to the residents is working and cases are decreasing gradually. We had more than 40 cases reported on a single day. Compared to that, cases are decreasing," the source added.

As per the Chennai Corporation data, division 127 had more than 430 positive cases as on Thursday, which is the highest number of cases in one division in the city. Of the total 200 divisions in the Chennai Corporation, only 34 divisions have more than 50 per cent of the total cases reported in the city.

"Most of the traders and workers are residing around the market and the areas near it, which fall under division 127. Also, divisions bordering division 127 also have a higher number of cases," the source said.

Divisions such as 93, 100, 105, 128, 145 and 148, all sharing boundaries with Koyambedu division, have as many as 599 cases as on Wednesday. Highest among those divisions, division 145 (Nerkundram), where traders reside in the majority, had 224 positive cases.

Following the huge number of positive cases, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority had already shifted the market temporarily to Thirumazhisai.

On the other hand, the number of cases is increasing across the city but the civic body rules out a single source like the Delhi conference or Koyambedu cluster. "Now, the cases are largely due to the difficulty in following social distancing norms. Crowding and dense population are the reasons for the spread in North Chennai," an official attached to Royapuram zone said.

Meanwhile, around 30 per cent of cases reported in the city every day are from outside the containment zones, with a significant number of index cases.

The Chengalpattu district administration’s decision to reveal details about the persons who have tested positive for coronavirus and also their source of information has kicked up a row, with many terming the move as a violation of patient privacy and confidentiality that could lead to them being stigmatised.

After coming under fire, the district officials said if these details were found to be misused by anyone, strict action would be taken.

On Wednesday morning, the district administration uploaded the affected areas plotted on a Google Map, apparently to generate awareness among public, on social media. The customised Google Map let others know the location of coronavirus infected person in the neighbourhood.

When a marked area is clicked, the details of the COVID positive persons is displayed, including the contact numbers and addresses of some of them. In some cases, the details given reportedly included the source of information.

After receiving complaints against putting personal details of persons affected by the virus in the public domain, senior officials justified that people should be able to know if there were any positive cases in their neighbourhood.

When contacted, Chengalpattu SP T Kannan said the idea behind the initiative was to let the local public know what was happening around them. “If we get any complaints that those details have been misused by anyone, the person will be arrested and strict action will be taken,” the officer said. The map would be updated every day and people can check it to avoid visiting the areas that have reported positive cases, officials added.