Ministers review steps to curb Covid spread in TN

MADURAI: A review meeting, presided by State Minister for Municipal Administration, Urban and Water Supply KN Nehru, Finance Minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan and Minister for Commercial Taxes and Registration P Moorthy, was held at Arignar Anna Maligai campus of Madurai Corporation on Monday. 
Steps taken to combat the spread of Covid by the municipal corporations of Madurai, Dindigul, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Nagercoil cities were reviewed during the meeting.

Addressing media persons, Nehru said that the Corporation Commissioners of the five civic bodies who have requested for additional bed facilities with oxygen support would get help. Speaking about the lockdown restrictions he said, “If a complete lockdown is imposed, the daily wagers and farmers would be hit. To ensure that they are not affected, permission has been given for the sale of essential commodities between 6 am and 10 am. The aim of the government is not to impose fines but to raise awareness.” 

An interdepartmental team of officials has been deployed to ensure Standard Operating Procedures were in place at these shop. He also said that oxygen would be supplied to the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai.Assuring that the vaccines would be made available for those above 18 years, he said that Remdesivir was also being directly supplied to private hospitals to avoid black marketing of the drug. Madurai MP Su Venkatesan, Madurai North MLA G Thalapathy and Madurai South MLA M Boominathan were among those present in the meeting. 

Siddha Covid Care Center inaugurated at American College

The ministers also inaugurated the Siddha based Covid Care Center at American College on Monday. The centre, has 200 beds and five Siddha doctors from Alma Siddha Hospital on a rotational basis. Meanwhile, Minister P Moorthy assured that a 500-bedded facility with oxygen support in Thoppur would be ready in a week.