Covid-19 pandemic continued its upward march in Tamil Nadu taking the number of persons tested positive for coronavirus to 2,162 in the State on Wednesday. The day saw 104 persons testing positive for coronavirus on  a single day.

The four-day total lockdown of five major cities in the State including Chennai  announced by the Tamil Nadu Government on April 26 is coming to an end on Thursday morning.

But out of the 104 persons testing positive for corona virus on Wednesday , 94 were from Chennai and the remaining persons from the neighbouring districts of Chengalpet, Kanchipuram, Thiruvallur and Villupuram.

With 82 persons getting cured and discharged from various hospitals in the State on Wednesday, Tamil Nadu is left with 922 active Codvin-19 patients in different hospitals.

As a prelude to the relaxation of lockdown on Thursday, the Government has banned any kind of retail sale of fruits and vegetables in Koyambedu Fruits and Vegetable Market, the State’s biggest wholesale market.

Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami, who addressed district collectors, superintendents of police and medical professionals through video conferencing on Wednesday reminded them that though the lockdown is being relaxed from Thursday morning, regulations and restrctions which were in force on April 26 would continue without any changes. District borders and inter-state borders would be closely monitored while all people coming to Tamil Nadu would be thoroughly screened for any kind of expose to infection.

The Tamil Nadu cabinet which will meet on May 2 is expected to announce  various crucial decisions, including easing of lockdown. Since the lockdown period is coming to an end on  May 3, certain measures to ease it will be announced, especially in areas where the spread of coronavirus is very less, Secretariat sources said.

 Meanwhile para medic staff led by doctors are scanning the entire stretch between Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and Pulianthope, a suburb five km away from the hospital.

This is because of an attempt made by one of the patients from the hospital’s isolation ward who managed to come out of the hospital unnoticed and walked all the way to his home on Monday night.

Though the police nabbed him on Tuesday morning itself, authorities are leaving no stones unturned and checking the entire road stretch from the hospital to Pulianthope.

Hospital sources said that they do not expect any major mishap as the patient walked the entire stretch past midnight while the roads were empty.