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In Chennai, COVID patients and their families in a mental pain due to barricading of their houses

Posted on: 26/Jun/2020 9:58:09 AM
The COVID-19 patients and their family members are in the state of mental pain and shock in Chennai. The main reason for this was due to the lack of standard protocol on containment measures against a house or an individual flat and this has resulted in the GCC blocking the flats and houses with tin sheets. This has left the residents without any access to the outside world.

The GCC has reduced the number of containment zones is known. It is now said that blocking the entry to the houses and flats with tin sheets would not serve any purpose.  A person who has been affected by this containment measure mentioned that the safety of the persons inside the houses has been affected.

It was pointed out by a resident belonging to Venus Colony in Alwarpet that as soon as he tested Coronavirus positive the Chennai Corporation workers had shut the entrance to his flat in a posh apartment complex using tin sheets. He explained that although he did not have any symptoms he and his family members remained inside the flat.

He then spoke about how the metal sheets that were nailed to his front door promoted stigma regarding COVID-19 positive people and how it would be dangerous in case of fire. During the times of emergency, a lot of valuable time would be spent on removing the tin sheets before shifting the person to the hospital.

Velachery based resident welfare activist Mr. Kumararaja was of the view that blocking the houses would lead to mental agony and hardship for Coronavirus patients.

He threw light on how the civic body had delegated the power to take containment steps to the respective zonal officials. He added that there has been no protocol and that has led to the use of tin sheets causing not only harm for the residents but also creating stigma against the affected families.