Tamil Nadu Covid-19 lockdown news live: Over 50% of state’s new Covid cases recorded in 11 districts

Arappor Iyakkam, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), on Tuesday alleging huge under-reporting of Covid fatalities, urged the Tamil Nadu government to audit and correctly report the death numbers. The NGO in its report also called for issue/reissue of medical certificates for cause of death as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines. Arappor Iyakkam came out with its study report based on the data released by six government hospitals - Government Rajaji Hospital, Madurai, Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, AMahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College and Hospital, Trichy, Vellore Medical College, Karur Medical College and ATirupur Government Headquarters Hospital-in Tamil Nadu.

The city’s iconic snake park, a pioneer in educating people on reptiles, is staring at closure. Since March 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, collection from visitors, the main source of revenue, has dwindled and the authorities are struggling to pay salaries to workers. In normal times, executive chairman S Paulraj said, the annual revenue through visitor entry tickets was around Rs 75 lakh (Rs 6.5 lakh-Rs 7 lakh per month). Of this, nearly Rs 4 lakh a month was spent on salaries for the 20-plus workers and another Rs 2 lakh for feeding the reptiles. Now, with the park locked down and reserve funds fast depleting, it is crisis time, he said. Last year, the park managed the salaries and feed expenses, thanks to some generous donations, Paulraj said.

The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) has sold liquor worth Rs 164 crore in the state in just one day. All liquor outlets and bars opened in the state on Monday. According to reports from the TASMAC, Madurai zone accounted for the maximum sales of Rs 49.54 crore followed by Chennai region with sales worth Rs 42.96 crore, Salem Rs 38.72 crore, and Trichy region accounting for the sale of Rs 33.65 crore worth of liquor. However there was no sale in the Coimbatore region as the shops are closed in the area following the higher number of Covid-19 cases. Shops in Nilgiris, Erode, Salem, Tiruppur, Karur, Namakkal, Thanjavur, Tiruvavur, Nagapattinam, and Myladuthurai remain closed as the number of cases are high.

Even as the fishing ban in Tamil Nadu ended on Monday midnight, less fishing boats are likely to venture into the sea for deep-sea fishing. Around 1,200 fishing boats are attached to the Kasimedu fishing harbour and only about 350 of these are likely to venture into the sea on Tuesday. Officials with the fishing harbour said that most of the fishing boats require maintenance and repair and hence these cannot go into to sea. Most of the boats will complete the maintenance work and take to the sea in a fortnight, officials said. Another issue faced by the fishing harbour and fishermen is that there is no money for maintenance as most of the fishermen have not been working since lockdown commenced.

Eleven high-prevalence districts accounted for more than 50% of Tamil Nadu’s 12,772 fresh Covid-19 cases on Monday as cases fell across the state.These 11 districts — six in western Tamil Nadu including Coimbatore, and five in central Tamil Nadu — logged 6,496 fresh cases. The western belt had higher incidence with Coimbatore alone reported 1,728 fresh cases, highest in the state, more than twice that of Chennai’s 828 cases. Perambalur, Ariyalur, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram and Sivagangai districts reported less than 100 cases and 10 others had less than 200 cases. Karur and Tenkasi had zero deaths while five districts reported one death each. In all, the state reported 254 deaths, a slight drop from the previous day.

People who left the city before the lockdown was imposed have started returning since more relaxations kicked in on Monday. Tambaram and Egmore railway stations saw a good crowd that arrived by early morning trains in the past two days. The number of flights and passengers arriving at Chennai airport outnumbered departures in the past two days. On June 13, there were 53 flight arrivals and 50 departures, with 4,744 reaching the city while only 3,898 left. An airport official said there has been a marginal increase in passenger arrivals in the past few days and airlines are increasing services to Chennai.

The Union territory reported less than 400 fresh Covid-19 cases for the first time after two months. The territory reported 309 fresh cases even as 686 patients recovered on Monday, bringing down the active cases to 4,947. The last time the territory reported less than 400 fresh cases was on April11 (306). Of the 4,947 active cases, 802 patients are under home isolation and treatment. Puducherry headquarters reported the most number fresh cases (240) followed by Karaikal (47), Mahe (14) and Yanam (8). Puducherry headquarters has the maximum active cases (3,827) followed by Karaikal (868), Mahe (130) and Yanam (122).

After a lull, international travel is set to resume for travellers who have been vaccinated. Notifications by Spain, Netherlands, France, Mauritius, Russia and Croatia to allow vaccinated travellers with or without negative RT-PCR reports in the coming weeks has brought cheer for travellers and the travel industry. Those who have taken the vaccine and carry a negative report will be exempted from the 14 days quarantine, a stumbling block that stopped people from travelling.

The Tamil Nadu government will take a call on reopening schools after observing how the lockdown relaxations play out, school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said on Monday. “We cannot accommodate all students in one class. We need space as more students are coming to government schools. We have to decide on the number of students to be allowed per classroom before reopening," the minister told reporters after issuing admission letters to Class XI students at Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Ashok Nagar.

Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin has said that lockdown relaxations, which came into force on Monday (June 14) in 27 districts including Chennai, could be withdrawn any time if people do not follow Covid-19 norms. If people show restraint, the state could move ahead and permit public transport and reopen schools and colleges, Stalin said. The chief minister is holding discussions with district collectors on Covid measures being undertaken across the state and to check on the possibility of resuming public transport.

The three infected lions at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park (AAZP), popularly known as the Vandalur Zoo here, are responding "very slowly" to treatment and all efforts are being taken to help them recuperate, a senior official at the zoo said on Monday. Of the 14 lions in the Zoo, 3 lions are responding to treatment very slowly. (PTI)

Over 5,000 metric tonnes of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) has been delivered to Tamil Nadu through Oxygen Express trains since last month, the Southern Railway said on Monday. Tamil Nadu received the first oxygen supply through an express train on May 14 here from Durgapur in West Bengal. (PTI)

It was destination tea-shop, salon and liquor outlet across Tamil Nadu on Monday after the State government eased the stringent Covid-induced lockdown in force since May 10. Long queues were noticed outside the State-run TASMAC outlets in most places. In certain districts of the State, liquor consumers welcomed the re-opening by breaking coconuts normally witnessed on auspicious occasions. (PTI)

Founder of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) S Ramadoss in a tweet has said that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's statement that opening TASMAC liquor shops would curb illicit liquor is unbelievable. It indicates that the state government had failed to curb the smuggling of illicit liquor as well as brew. (IANS)