With the number of persons testing positive for coronavirus inching towards the four digit mark, it is expected that the Government of Tamil Nadu would recommend the extension of the lock down in the State at least by a fortnight. K Shanmugham, Chief Secretary, who briefed the media late Friday evening said that number of COVID 19 patients in Tamil Nadu reached 911.
“On Friday, there were 77 persons who tested positive for corona virus in the State. A woman from Thoothukudi district succumbed to corona virus on Friday taking the number of fatalities to nine,” said Shanmugham. He said the council of ministers which will meet on Saturday evening is likely to take the next move about extending the lock down in the State.
The expert committee constituted by the Government of Tamil Nadu that include medical professionals and heads of various departments recommended that the lock-down period be extended by at least a fortnight in the backdrop of the ever increasing number of corona virus patients in the State. Sources in Secretariat told that a decision on extending the lock down period would be taken in the cabinet meeting scheduled for Saturday evening.
Friday saw the members of the expert committee conferring with Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami at Fort Saint George for more than two hours where they explained their findings. Dr Prabhdeep Kaur of the National Institute of Epidemiology, told journalists after the two-hour long meeting that the committee briefed the chief minister about their observations.
“The meeting in which 17 members participated went on for two hours. The members expressed their views to the government. Dr Sowmya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, WHO, also participated through video conferencing from Geneva and expressed her views,” said Dr Kaur. She said the members were unanimous in their suggestion that the lock down should be extended by a fortnight and tests be done on the contacts of the COVID-19 patients.
“Whatever steps are being taken, there has been an increase in the number of corona cases. Hence we recommended extension of the lockdown by 14 days, beyond April 14”, said Dr Kaur who also said that the Government of Tamil Nadu was doing everything which it could do to check the spreading of the pandemic.
There has been demand from the main opposition party the DMK that the lock down period be extended by 30 days from April 15, when the close down announced by the Centre comes to an end.