Tamil Nadu reported a sudden spike in the number of new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours. The state reported 4,231 new Covid-19 cases, including 1,216 from Chennai.

The spike was largely due to the growing numbers in various districts, according to the state health department. Districts which reported spikes include Tiruvallur, Virudhunagar, Madurai, Kallakurichi, Tuticorin, Chengalpet among others.

According to the department's release, 41,038 persons were tested on Thursday, which is the highest ever. The state has done the maximum number of tests in the country and is nearing 1.5 million.

In the last 24 hours, 3,994 patients were discharged and 65 new deaths were reported in the state.

The total number of cases in the state now stands at 126,581. While 78,161 patients were discharged, 1,765 patients succumbed to the disease.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government on Thursday relaxed the Covid-19 lockdown conditions for information technology (IT) and IT Enabled Services (ITES) companies located within the Greater Chennai Police jurisdiction – barring the Covid-19 containment zones - to function from their offices with 10 per cent of their total staff strength.