Many districts in the state, including Chennai, are under complete lockdown from June 21 to June 28. (PTI)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisami Saturday urged the people of the state to follow the lockdown strictly to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Three districts, including Chennai, are under complete lockdown from June 21 to 28.
Addressing the media, the chief minister urged the public to cooperate with the government as much as possible and urged people to wear masks and maintain social distancing in public places.
“The government is putting its best effort to curb the spread of the virus. Several teams, comprising IAS and IPS officials and doctors, have been constituted to monitor Covid-19 control measures in the state. The virus initially spread in Tamil Nadu by people from other countries and states. Contact tracing was done immediately. Due to the tremendous effort of doctors and healthcare workers, the recovery rate is 54 per cent in the state,” he said.
The chief minister said the government was creating awareness through social media, television, and police, and the local municipal administration was making sure these campaigns reach every corner. He added that health department officials were conducting camps in several areas.
“More than 8 lakh sample tests have been done in Tamil Nadu; the highest in the country. There are 83 functioning labs in the state. On Friday, 27,537 samples were tested; we are focusing on increasing the testing. As many as 30,271 persons have been discharged following treatment, this is possible because of the excellent treatment provided by our doctors,” he added.
Replying to a question about State Higher Education Minister KP Anbalagan’s health condition, the chief minister said there was nothing to comment as Anbalagan himself had clarified that he was doing fine.
On Friday, Tamil Nadu reported more than 2,000 cases, taking the tally to 54,449. The total number of cases included 40 returnees from other countries and states. The death toll stood to 666 after 41 deaths were reported on Friday.