Chennai records 50% dip in number of containment zones in a week – Times of India

CHENNAI: The number of containment zones in the city has halved in just one week, official data released by Greater Chennai Corporation revealed.
A containment zone is a street that has more than 10 active Covid-19 cases. Official data shows that there were 365 containment zones on May 31. Just a week ago, on May 24, there were 765 containment zones.
In addition, the number of streets with at least one active case has also reduced from around 6,200 to 4,400.

These indicators provide another evidence of the quick dip in the spread of the viral infection in the city – a trend that officials and experts have attributed to the lockdown and the civic body’s detailed measures to curb the spread.
According to official data, the northern (zones 1-5) region recorded a 58% decrease in number of containment zones and the central region (zones 6-10) a 56% dip. The decrease is slightly lower in the southern region (zones 11-15) at 34.7%.
The 56% dip in the central region is significant as it has the most containment zones in the city.
Not one of the 200 wards across Chennai has more than 20 containment zones. Ward 123 (Beemanpet) in Teynampet zone has the highest number of containment zones (17). Data showed that 73 wards did not have a single containment street. Just a week ago, there were 53 wards without containment streets.
Not one street in the city has more than 50 active cases as of May 31, data showed. On May 24, there were eight streets with more than 50 cases and two with more than 60. A fortnight ago, on May 17, there were a few streets with more than 70 active cases.
As on May 31, only Jaswanth Nagar in Mogappair West, Konnur High Road in Ayanavaram and A P Patro Salai in K K Nagar have more than 40 active cases.
A senior corporation official said this trend was welcome and reflective of the decrease in the spread, but added that the civic body was cautious and hasn’t lowered its guard. “We are on our toes especially at areas that may witness crowding once lockdown restrictions are eased. Special vehicles will be used to disinfect places like markets and focus will also be on masking and ensuring establishments follow standard operating procedures,” the official said.