Local response to COVID-19 by family a friends in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

[M.L. Prabakar]

COVID 19 is a pandemic that has struck the human race very badly.  Though in human history we had seen these kinds of epidemics and pandemics this situation is a little different as there is no vaccine or medicine to prevent or to cure.  This calls for an immediate action that can curtail the spread of COVID 19 and can also support people and families infected with the virus. 

As facilitators and champions of community life competence process we have a considerable experience of dealing with these situations as we had been handling HIV epidemic.  So Local responses through a social vaccine that can travel faster than the COVID 19 virus to the hearts and homes of individuals, families and communities will be a worth while effort that can save many lives and help people to stay infection free and curb the mobility of the virus among human beings.

Based on the experience of our constellation friends in preventing, halting and reversing the spread of HIV a team has initiated a local response that would touch the lives of people living in 2 slums in Chennai City and in one rural village in the outskirts of Chennai. 

The effort: within the next one week this team will hold discussions among rural, and urban slum community people and among visually challenged people to ascertain and build on practices that are essential to prevent the COVID 19 from spreading, treatment and support for individuals and families infected with the virus and measures such as self quarantine (voluntary isolation) preparedness that will help in limiting the mobility of the virus.  

Self Assessment on prevention and management.pptx

[Rituu B. Nanda]

Hi Marie, I spoke to Prabakar. His group could not follow up with the planned community due to strict government orders for physical distancing. However he was able to visit another organisation which works with Transgenders and MSM. The people he me their said that their dream is that no one is discriminated on the basis of COVID-19. They added that they have not been accepted by their families and live separately. They now want to be a model for rest of the society in terms of COVID response by not discriminating anyone. Here is a photo sent by Prabakar over whasapp

[Marie Lamboray]

Hello Prabakar, nice to read you ! How has the response progressed since this post?