Will follow Chennai model to cut Kovai cases: Sunkara

Raja Gopal Sunkara, who took charge as Commissioner on Monday, said that the civic body would introduce ‘focus volunteers’ as part of its Home Quarantine and Isolation Management System (HQMS) in an effort to bring down the cases. 

A volunteer will be tasked for a person or family under home isolation to take care of their needs and help them avoid stepping out unnecessarily to prevent spread of the infection. 

“Almost 500 COVID-19 infections are reported from the Corporation limits and many are from rural neighbourhoods. So, the Chennai model, which was effective in curbing the infections, will be replicated in Coimbatore also. Besides controlling the second wave, efforts would also be taken to prepare for the anticipated third wave,” he said. 

The official had served as Deputy Commissioner, South, in Chennai Corporation when the second wave was at its peak in the metro city. Reiterating that his first priority will be to bring down the infections, Gopal said that he would come out with a mechanism to crack down on shops running discreetly in violation of lockdown restrictions. 

Coimbatore is one among the 11 districts in the state to continue with restrictions due to the high number of cases. Coimbatore continues to top the state in terms of caseload by recording more than 1,000 infections daily. On Monday, the district recorded 1,728 cases taking the total number of persons under treatment to 16,655.