On March 27, a 25-year-old woman tested positive for COVID-19 (patient 30). She is currently being treated under isolation at Ariyalur Government Hospital. A few days later on March 31, her coworker, a 28-year-old man (identified as patient 69), tested positive and was admitted to Thiruvannamalai Government Hospital. According to reports, the two were employees at an apparel store at Phoenix Mall in Velachery, Chennai.
Following these two cases of COVID-19, the mall has now come under the health department's radar. Public health authorities are now directly tracking all employees of the mall, instructing them to quarantine themselves immediately. Should they develop any symptoms, they have been asked to report themselves immediately using COVID-19 helplines. (Chennai South helpline number - 89396 31500, Chennai north helpline number - 94464 77658)
Speaking to TNM, an official from Chennai's Health Department explains that they have privately managed to trace all those who visited the store in the mall between March 10 and March 17 (when all malls were ordered to close down in the state). "We did not have to broadcast a message since lakhs of people would have visited the mall during the said period and the message would only create unnecessary panic in the city. We contacted the store and retrieved contact details of all those who purchased in the store between the said period. We have reached out to about 3000 customers. In addition to it we are already following up with 360 employees of the store," he says.
"Given that the incubation period of 14-days is already over for those who visited the store, there is no need to panic," he adds.
Greater Chennai Corporation on Tuesday also made an urgent announcement asking all those who visited a visa application centre in Kodambakkam on March 15 to immediately isolate themselves. This was after a person who tested positive for COVID-19 revealed that he had visited the visa application centre. "We had to publicly announce this because we were able to get details of the employees but not those who visited the place. So far two people have approached us but they do not have any symptoms," adds the Health official.
Tamil Nadu reported its biggest spike in COVID-19 cases on Wednesday when 110 patients were tested positive for the disease. Tamil Nadu Health Secretary Beela Rajesh informed the public that all 110 of the new cases were those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat conference in New Delhi. She added that new cases were discovered because participants from the conference came forward by themselves following the health department’s advisory.
Tamil Nadu currently has reported 234 positive COVID-19 cases with six recoveries and one death so far.