TN reports six more coronavirus cases, govt steps up action;

Six more people tested positive for coronavirus on Friday taking the total number of cases to 35 in Tamil Nadu as Chief Minister K Palaniswami briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the action being taken to tackle the contagion. Hours after the Prime Minister spoke to him favouring strict enforcement of lockdown, Palaniswami ordered fresh curbs to ensure that people stayed indoors and stepped up measures to tackle the scourge of virus by appointing 500 plus doctors besides other healthcare professionals in State-run hospitals.

As per the Chief Minister's directive, effective Sunday, grocery shops, vegetable markets and petrol pumps shall be open only from 6 am to 2.30 pm to check unnecessary movement of people in public spaces as the nationwide shutdown entered day three. Presently, shops selling groceries function through the day.

Trucks ferrying vegetables and fruits from within and outside Tamil Nadu should offload them between 6 pm and 6 am in the respective wholesale markets. The prohibitory orders, though do not apply to incidents like death, it should be ensured that the number of participants does not exceed 20 people, the government said.

Food delivery aggregators like Swiggy, Zomato and Uber Eats will be allowed deliver food between 7 am to 9.30 am, between noon and 2.30 pm and from 6 pm to 9 pm as a special case. Pharmacies and restaurants will be open through the day. Eateries could however only cater to take away orders and not allow dine-in amenities, the government said.

The chief minister also said 500-plus doctors have been freshly appointed and ordered recruiting 200 each doctors, and nurses, 100 paramedics and 180 sanitary workers at Omandurar Estate Government Medical College Hospital here, which is now a designated facility with 500 beds to treat COVID-19 patients. "About 15,000 beds are ready across Tamil Nadu to treat coronavirus infected people. The Coimbatore-based ESI Hospital has been made a special facility with 350 beds to treat COVID-19 patients," the government said.

While the State police said as manay as 3,024 FIRs have been filed and seized 1,924 vehicles over 3,168 instances of lockdown violations across Tamil Nadu, the state government invited donations to the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund to meet the expenditure for a flurry of activities aimed at tackling the scourge of coronavirus. To cater to the expected high number of infections, substantial funding resources are needed for a variety of requirements including diagnostic equipment, ventilators, beds, isolation and quarantine facilities, the government said adding it was seeking support to tackle the situation.

"Workers in agriculture, construction and several other unorganised sectors are facing daily wage losses. Help is (also) needed for providing food for poor and the destitute." Local authorities continued to carry out massive disinfection exercises in their respective regions while authorities left no stone unturned to implement the lockdown. Of the six new cases, five people contracted the infection through contact with those who tested positive for the coronavirus.

In a tweet, the National Health Mission - Tamil Nadu said: "6 new positive cases of #Covid19 in TN..." and taking "the total tally to 35 so far." A senior health official said the total number of cases includes a man who has been discharged and another who died. Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in the day told the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to enforce strictly the three- week national lockdown declared to check the spread of the virus and ensure availability of essential commodities for the people.

In a telephonic conversation, Modi said prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code and social distancing should be rigidly enforced. The Prime Minister sought to know from the Chief Minister about the coronavirus preventive measures undertaken by various government departments in the state, an official release said.

Palaniswami apprised Modi in detail about the steps being taken continuously by the state government against the contagion. "Considering public good, the Prime Minister said the prohibitory orders under section 144 should be followed strictly and people should ensure social distancing," the release said.

He also said steps should be taken to ensure availability of essential commodities for the people. "The Chief Minister replied that all these aspects are being fully implemented," the release added.

The state government which had initially announced the shutdown till March 31 on Thursday extended it till April 14 in sync with the national lockdown announced by the Prime Minister. Palaniswami, later chaired a meeting of top officials including Chief Secretary K Shanmugam, Director General of Police J K Tripathy and others participated.

The Chief Minister, following the meeting, said steps were afoot to fill openings in the health department adding appointment orders were being given to 1,508 lab technicians, 530 doctors, and 1,000 nurses following recruitment by Medical Services Recruitment Board. "The appointees are advised to join duty within three days of getting the letter of appointment. I have also directed operationalisation of 200 new ambulances," Palaniswami said.

The COVID-19 control room in the Secretariat will be strengthened as the apex control centre to coordiate all control rooms in the State. He appealed to foreign returnees after February 15 to home quarantine themselves voluntarily.PTI PTI VGN VS SS PTI PTI PTI