This is one of the reasons why the number of containment zones in the city has steadily risen despite several streets not recording cases for 14 days and getting off the containment zone list.
As on Monday evening, there are 764 containment zones in the city, up from 690 less than a week ago.
Official data shows that of the 482 cases recorded in the corporation limits on Sunday, 133 were from outside the existing containment zones. Similarly, on Saturday, 94 of 332 cases were from outside the containment zones.
Senior officials say that majority of these cases are because of frontline staff like conservancy workers, police and medical workers, who may be working outside the existing containment zones.
Just a single index case outside the containment zone can lead to a cluster, the data shows. This is because of contacts like family members or in case of frontline workers, the people they get in touch with.
For instance, on Sunday, 17 health workers, 32 police personnel, six sanitary workers, one media person and 10 other government servants tested positive.
On both days, the highest number of cases outside containment zones was in Kodambakkam (zone 10). This is not a mere co-incidence.
Senior officials say that this is mainly because of vegetable vendors testing positive. “The other cases include staff nurses and hospital workers,” said an official.
Data shows that contacts other than that of the family form a major portion of the cases registered outside containment zones. For example, on Saturday, these accounted for 76 of the 94 cases, while on Sunday, 99 of the 133 cases.
Commissioner of revenue administration and special Covid-19 officer deputed to the corporation, J Radhakrishnan told TOI that in one case they found that a man was found working in a bank inside a containment zone and tested positive. “We are tracking every case and analysing them carefully,” he said.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/chennai-30-cases-continue-to-be-from-outside-containment-zones/articleshow/75822701.cms