Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami will on Thursday take a call on extending/relaxing the COVID-19 lockdown in the State after holding consultations with medical and public health experts at the Secretariat.

At a videoconference with District Collectors and senior officials on Wednesday, Mr. Palaniswami said, “Due to steps the State government has taken over the past four months, the spread of COVID-19 has been brought under control. The fatality rate has come down.”

Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam was present at the meeting. 

The Chief Minister said the State government was ensuring essential supplies were maintained in spite of the lockdown. Face masks would be distributed for free through ration shops from August 5, he said.

As for the agricultural sector, he said the kuruvai crop had been cultivated on 3.54 lakh acres — much higher than the targeted coverage of 3.50 lakh acres. The crop would be cultivated on another 15,000 acres, he added. He pointed out that water supply for agriculture, especially in the Cauvery delta areas, had been ensured.

Works under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) were in full swing, and about 85% of the kudimaramathu works across the State had been completed, the Chief Minister said. “I have instructed the District Collectors to wind up the remaining 15% so that water could be saved during the monsoon,” he added.

In the Greater Chennai Corporation limits, 25,532 fever clinics had been organised, benefiting over 14.50 lakh persons. Over 20,000 workers and volunteers in Chennai were involved in house-to-house check-ups, he said. “The fever clinics are the reason behind the success in containing the infection,” Mr. Palaniswami said.

Over 24.7 lakh persons had been tested so far, and over 63,000 persons were being tested in a day, he said. A total of 54,091 beds in COVID-19 hospitals, 64,903 beds in COVID-19 special hospitals, 25,538 beds with oxygen supply, 3,962 beds in ICUs and 2,882 ventilators were available in the State, the CM said, adding that over 15,000 additional medical staff, including 2,751 doctors and 6,893 nurses had been recruited.

“The public should extend their cooperation to the government. Using face masks is mandatory. They should strictly maintain physical distance while at grocery or provision stores or banks. On returning home, they should thoroughly wash their hands with soap,” he said.

A total of 51,211 non-resident Tamils had returned to Tamil Nadu through the Vande Bharat and Samudra Setu missions so far. As many as 4,18,903 guest workers had been sent to their native States, the CM added.