Chennai and its neighbouring districts also reported a spike in the cases with the city reporting 225 fresh cases. Coimbatore reported a total of 51 cases, Chengalpattu 46 cases and Tiruvallur 33 new cases.

With Friday’s tally, the total number of cases in the State touched 53,992. Health secretary J Radhakrishnan pointed out several clusters emerging in Chennai and neighbouring districts due to violations in public places and gatherings. “Despite imposing fines on people, who are violating the safety norms, clusters in families and communities have increased. With the vaccinations underway, safety measures have taken a back seat, “ he said.

On Friday, five more deaths were reported, including two in private hospitals and three others in government hospitals, taking the toll to 12,513. The Health Secretary stated that considering the surge in cases, there would be an increase in testing in the districts.