Reportedly with the nationwide lockdown set to end in two days, tamilnadu is yet to decide on an exit strategy for the state's 37 districts. The fact that 26 of these districts have currently (as of Thursday) been classified under the red zone, has put a dampener on any plans to restore normalcy. But experts suggest that aggressive levels of testing along with a phased removal of lockdown, will have to be implemented to truly try and contain the coronavirus from spreading. The Centre, meanwhile, has only classified 12 districts as red zones while 24 have been labelled orange zones. In kerala too there was a similar situation, where chief minister pinarayi vijayan had classified kozhikode district as a hotspot although the Centre hadn't.
According to maps provided by the state health department, red zones are those which have over 15 cases or where the doubling time of cases is less than 4 days. Orange zones are those which have less than 15 cases or new cases in the last 14 days. And finally green zones are areas where there are no new cases in the last 28 days. Currently, the districts that fall under the red zone in tamil Nadu include tirunelveli (63) , tenkasi (38), Thoothukudi (27), Ramanathapuram (18), Virudhunagar (32), madurai (84), Theni (43), Dindigul (80), Tiruppur (112), Karur (42), coimbatore (141), Tiruchirapalli (51), thanjavur (5%), Tiruvarur (29), Nagapattinam (44), Cuddalore(28), Namakkal (61), salem (32), Villupuram (50), Chengalpattu (78), Tirupattur (18), Kancheepuram (26), Ranipet (40), Vellore (22). Tiruvallur (55) and chennai (906). Districts that fall under the orange zone are - Tiruvannamalai (15), Dharmapuri (1), Kallakurichi (9), Nilgiris (9), Erode (70), Perambalur (9), ariyalur (7), Pudukkottai (1), Sivagangai (12) and Kanyakumari (16).
The only district in the green zone, with no recorded cases is Krishangiri. Dr P Kuganathan, another former health officer, meanwhile, points out that relaxations come at the cost of residents getting infected. He adds "Even after the lockdown social distancing and hygiene will be paramount," he says. "Crowds will not be allowed to gather at any cost and even if public transport is back in force, the number of persons travelling at any point of time will be reduced".
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