Coronavirus lockdown | Number of containment zones in Chennai sees big decrease

The Greater Chennai Corporation on Friday issued a statement announcing the removal of 86 streets from the list of containment zones after no coronavirus cases were reported over the past 14 days. The containment zones had seen a big decrease two days back when the GCC had removed 376 streets as well from the list. Subsequently, the number of streets coming under containment has decreased to 635 with zones in Royapuram and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar areas reporting the maximum at 131 and 101. Chennai city had 774 streets under containment as on Wednesday.

Around about 90 containment zones in Chennai were reported in mid-April. In that light, the zones with the maximum number of streets removed from the containment list on Wednesday were in Royapuram (zone 5) - 72 streets, followed by Thiru Vi Ka Nagar (zone 6) - 67 streets. Areas like Tondiarpet, Teynampet and Valasaravakkam (zones 4, 9 and 11) had over 30 streets taken off the containment list as well.

Likewise, there were plenty of developments on Friday as 18 streets in the Royapuram zone and 20 in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar were taken off the containment list. Initially, the process for a street to be removed from the list would be based on having to wait for 28 days until no case is reported. The new revised guidelines have changed the process entirely as the number of waiting days has been reduced to 14 days. Chennai Corporation was at first barricading all entry and exit points at these streets as a measure to prevent movement among the public in the zones. On the other hand, barricading an entire street with less than five coronavirus cases is not followed anymore over the past one week.