Have corona virus symptoms? Don’t hide them, appeals this Muthu Street resident.

For Vana Narayanan, an advocate and an active community member, who resides at Muthu Street, Mylapore, the lockdown experience has been surreal.

He says ever since the lockdown was announced in March, the residents of his street and neighbouring Appu Street have not been too serious about wearing masks and ensuring social distancing.

And to add to this, Narayanan says the residents have not been informing Chennai Corporation of their virus like symptoms for fear of being singled out and isolated.

He says, “In the month of April and May, there have been three deaths at our street due to corona virus. All of them were seniors with co-morbidities. I still see people moving around without masks,”.he says.

He says residents who were tested positive were initially hesitant to inform GCC about their virus like symptoms and went into quarantine themselves. This, he says, has to change.

“We called GCC authorities and they came over, told the residents what they could do to stay safe and disinfected the whole area. People need to get over the social stigma associated with this virus”.

Narayanan says the intense lockdown announced on June 19 has changed quite a few things in his neighbourhood. “Residents now think twice about taking out their bikes. Not many people are moving around now. That is definitely a good sign”.