The study found better mask compliance in both indoor and outdoor spaces and among slum and non-slum populations in Chennai as compared to March 2021.
Mask compliance has improved in Chennai, found a study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Epidemiology (ICMR and NIE) along with the Greater Chennai Corporation and done by Dr Prabhdeep Kaur and P Ganeshkumar. The study found that mask compliance in Chennai’s slum areas had improved from 21% in March 2021 to 41% presently. In non-slum areas of Chennai, mask compliance has improved from 27% in March this year to 47% now, the report showed.
The ICMR and NIE had already done three rounds of mask compliance study in Chennai, back in October 2020 (Round 1), December 2020 (Round 2) and March 2021 (Round three). For the fourth round of the study, which was planned after lockdown relaxations post the second wave) the researchers picked 64 streets at random in Chennai and studied 3,200 people outdoors and 1,286 people indoors. The researchers who did the study said that 32 streets each from slum and non-slum localities under the Greater Chennai Corporation were picked for the study. At each survey point, researchers studied 50 individuals outdoors and 20 indoors between July 8 to 10. It concluded that 38% of slum and 25% of non-slum residents did not wear a mask while outdoors. Indoors, mask compliance was 24% and 33% in slum and non-slum areas respectively.
Indoor public places were places open to the public and did not have entry restrictions. This included grocery shops, vegetable shops, pharmacies, apparel stores, etc). Outdoor public places were streets in residential or commercial areas.
Speaking to the Hindu, Prabhdeep Kaur, one of the researchers who did the study, said that mask compliance was still below 50% and needs to improve further.
She added that the poor indoor mask compliance of 24% in slum areas and 33% in non-slum areas was a serious concern as the risk of COVID-19 transmission is higher in these places.
With a shortage of vaccines in Chennai halting vaccination drives on certain days, it is important to be mask compliant to further reduce the spread of infection, she added.
Source: The News Minute