Just months ahead of the Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, there is tension in the Congress-DMK alliance in the Union territory. The first signal that the alliance may be heading for a collapse came on Monday with the DMK’s Puducherry leadership announcing that the party will contest in all the 30 seats in the elections. The discord comes days ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Tamil Nadu, his second this month. If the DMK and the Congress part ways, the tension could cast a shadow in Tamil Nadu as well. The Congress high command in Delhi said it was watching the situation closely and is in touch with both Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and the Puducherry leadership.
READ | DMK says will contest all Puducherry seats, ally Congress says watching closely
Also Read | Puducherry govt in trouble as ally DMK decides to fight without Congress in Assembly polls
As a few of its district functionaries quit to join the DMK, Rajinikanth’s proposed political outfit Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM) issued a statement Monday saying its members were free to leave the organisation and join any other political party. In a statement, VM Sudhakar, the convener of RMM, said, “if members want to join any political party they are free to do after resigning from the post they hold in Mandram. Even if they do join other political parties, they will remain our beloved Thalaivar fans. RMM members shouldn’t forget that.”
READ | Party leaders free to quit and join other political parties: Rajini Makkal Mandram
For assistance on COVID-19-related queries and mental health support in Chennai, citizens can contact the Greater Chennai Corporation's (GCC) COVID-19 helpline 044 46122300 | Citizens can find the nearest GCC-facilitated COVID-19 fever clinic here | For lodging rain-related complaints and assistance during the monsoon, citizens can contact the GCC's monsoon helplines 044 25384530 or 044 25384540 or the control room 1913 (available 24x7)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami will inaugurate the memorial of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in Chennai on January 27.
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Following his meetings in Delhi with the union home minister Amit Shah, on Monday, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said there is no chance of ousted party general secretary V K Sasikala returning to AIADMK. “There is no chance… She is not at the party now,” he said.
When asked about ongoing talks about Sasikala’s return to the party ahead of her expected release from the Bangalore prison in a couple of days, CM Palaniswami said the decision taken by AIADMK was certain. “I can say that… 100%… there is no chance of Sasikala returning to AIADMK,” he said. He added that most of Sasikala supporters are back in AIADMK and that “only few people are there” in her camp now.
“Amma (late J Jayalalithaa) too had kept her away from the party. Only after Amma’s death, Sasikala entered the party. She was not in AIADMK when Amma was alive,” said CM Palaniswami, who was once the most trusted loyalist of Sasikala.
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Activist and leader of Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha, Vattal Nagaraj has landed in a fresh soup after he, along with members of his outfit, damaged display boards of the state highways department in areas situated close to the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border. The roads connecting the two borders are dotted with ‘Welcome’ and ‘Thank You’ boards, erected on behalf of Erode district and highways departments.
The incident in question took place near the Ramapuram area in Thalavadi hills of Erode district on January 10, as about twenty members of the outfit, led by the Nagaraj, tore off stickers which had welcome messages in Tamil. They then proceeded to damage the boards, raising slogans that the welcome messages be scripted in Kannada. They further claimed that Thalavadi belongs to Karnataka.
Speaking to indianexpress.com, Nagaraj said “Thalavadi is Kannada land. I launched a protest in 1969, demanding that Thalavadi be annexed (from Tamil Nadu) and officially declared as part of Karnataka. The authorities here should put up Kannada boards. Not a single word (on these boards) is Kannada.”
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A 24-year-old healthcare worker was admitted into Gandhi hospital in Hyderabad after she developed adverse effects post immunisation. She was inoculated at UPHC Uppal on Saturday and was brought to the hospital Monday evening.
According to Gandhi hospital, necessary investigations were done and she was being monitored closely. This is the first such case reported in Telangana after nearly 4000 healthcare workers took the vaccine jab on Saturday and eleven cases of mild reactions were reported the same day.
“She complained of vomitings, giddiness, and general weakness since yesterday(Sunday). Doctors who are on special duty for the vaccine reactions (AEFI COMMITTEE) have examined her. Her temperature is normal. Pulse and BP are normal. Oxygen saturation is 100 percent on room air(without oxygen). She’s stable at present,” said Dr. Raja Rao, superintendent of the hospital.
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An active and extended northeast monsoon this year has brought about 1000 per cent surplus rainfall to Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Lakshadweep in January alone. Thirty per cent of the annual rainfall recorded in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, coastal and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh, and south interior Karnataka has been also contributed by the winter rain between October and December.
After its onset was announced on October 28, a delay by a fortnight from normal, the southern states recorded 10.3 per cent rainfall above the Long Period Average of 337.6 mm till December, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data states. This is the highest rain to be recorded during the season since 2016.
Two cyclonic storms, Nivar and Burevi, also augmented the monsoon activity in early December and added to the quantum rainfall for the season. Till December, Rayalaseema (99 per cent), Tamil Nadu (87 per cent) along with Kerala and Mahe (34 per cent) had received rainfall beyond their stipulated seasonal quota. The southern sub-divisions, overall, had recorded 53 per cent excess rainfall in December.
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Schools in Tamil Nadu reopened on Tuesday after a 10-month hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The schools which will reopen in a phased manner will follow the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the government.
A week ago, CM Edappadi Palaniswami issued a statement that said each class will have a maximum strength of only 25 students to maintain social distancing and the students will be provided with Zinc and Vitamin tablets by the health department to boost their immunity. The decision to reopen schools was taken by the government after holding a consultation with parents and teachers. The government said 95 per cent of the parents consented to reopen the schools.
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Stating that he had spoken over a call with a suspended District Munsif wherein he is alleged to have made enquiries about land dealings by kin of a Supreme Court judge, former Andhra Pradesh High Court judge Justice (retd) V Eswaraiah Monday contended before the Supreme Court that the English transcript of the same filed before the High Court which had ordered an inquiry into the conversation “was incorrect…”.
Eswaraiah’s plea challenging the August 13 order of the High Court — which ordered a probe into the alleged conversation saying the records placed before it contained information that purportedly disclosed a serious conspiracy against the judiciary — came up Monday before a bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan which posted it for further hearing in the first week of February.
The SC had earlier asked him to clarify his stand with regard to the purported conversation.
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The Centre has flagged Tamil Nadu and Kerala over their poor vaccine coverage of their priority group at less than 25 per cent and has directed them to engage with healthcare workers to build vaccine confidence, The Indian Express has learnt.
“During the video conferencing that is held every day, both Tamil Nadu and Kerala told us that they found varying amounts of vaccine hesitancy among their health care workers,” a top government source, part of the team monitoring the vaccination drive, told The Indian Express.
“We have told these states to engage with these healthcare workers. After all, the vaccine hesitancy is not going to go away if the state government is not going to engage with the beneficiaries and communicate the facts,” sources said.
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The Congress-DMK alliance ruling over the Union Territory of Puducherry may be headed for collapse with the latter announcing on Monday that it will contest all 30 seats in the upcoming Assembly elections. Senior DMK leader S Jagathrakshagan made the announcement soon after a meeting of DMK functionaries in Puducherry.
After chairing the party meeting, Jagathrakshagan addressed a gathering near Puducherry where he categorically stated that DMK will contest and win all 30 seats in the UT. To the surprise of many, he added: “If we fail (to win polls), I will commit suicide on this stage.”
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A leopard was sighted near the boundary wall of Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in the early hours of Monday. Caught on security cameras, the animal could be seen walking along and then scaling the airport’s fence around 3am.
Telangana Forest department officials have examined the footage and confirmed the presence of the leopard. A source from the airport said the spot where the leopard was sighted is towards the south of the sprawling campus, around half-a-kilometre from the runway.
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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced that Dr. V Shanta, Chairman of Adyar Cancer Institute will be cremated with police honours.
A veteran in cancer care and one of the senior-most oncologists who headed the Adyar Cancer Institute, Dr. Shanta died early Tuesday morning. She was 93. After she complained of discomfort on Monday night, Dr Shanta was taken to Apollo Hospitals in the city, where doctors tried to remove a block in a blood vessel. She died at around 3.55 am.
Dr Shantha joined the cancer institute about six decades ago as a resident medical officer, and since then, devoted her life to the field of oncology. Born in 1927 in a family that believed in educating women, she completed her MBBS in 1949 from the Madras Medical College and specialised in Gynaecology and Obstetrics.
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The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) conducted 345 fever clinics in Chennai on Monday. A total of 19,968 people attended the clinics, with swabs collected from 222 people who were identified with ILI symptoms, while others were provided with medication for minor ailments.
The most number of camps were held in Anna Nagar (Zone 8) where 39 camps had been set up, while Manali (Zone 2) had the least with five camps.
As a few of its district functionaries quit to join the DMK, Rajinikanth’s proposed political outfit Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM) issued a statement Monday saying its members were free to leave the organisation and join any other political party.
In a statement, VM Sudhakar, the convener of RMM, said, “if members want to join any political party they are free to do after resigning from the post they hold in Mandram. Even if they do join other political parties, they will remain our beloved Thalaivar fans. RMM members shouldn’t forget that.”
On Sunday, the district secretaries of Thoothukudi, Ramanathapuram, Theni and a few other leaders joined Tamil Nadu’s opposition party in the presence of its leader MK Stalin.
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Just months ahead of the Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, there is tension in the Congress-DMK alliance in the Union territory. The first signal that the alliance may be heading for a collapse came on Monday with the DMK’s Puducherry leadership announcing that the party will contest in all the 30 seats in the elections.
The discord comes days ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Tamil Nadu, his second this month. If the DMK and the Congress part ways, the tension could cast a shadow in Tamil Nadu as well. The Congress high command in Delhi said it was watching the situation closely and is in touch with both Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and the Puducherry leadership.
The announcement by senior DMK leader S Jagathrakshagan came after a meeting of DMK functionaries in Puducherry. After chairing the party meeting, Jagathrakshagan addressed a gathering near Puducherry where he categorically stated that DMK will contest and win all 30 seats in the UT. “If we fail (to win polls), I will commit suicide on this stage,” he said to a round of applause.
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Telangana registered 256 fresh coronavirus cases on Monday, taking the total positives to nearly 2.92 lakh while the toll surged to 1,581 with two more fatalities.
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 51, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri and Rangareddy with 17 and 15 respectively, a government bulletin said on Tuesday.
The total number of cases stood at 2,92,128 while recoveries were 2,86,542. As many as 4,005 patients are under treatment and 31,486 samples were tested on Monday. Cumulatively, over 75.15lakh samples have been tested. The samples tested per million population was nearly 2.02 lakh, the bulletin said.
The case fatality rate in the state was 0.54 per cent while the recovery rate in Telangana was 98.08 per cent. (PTI)
Shruti Haasan and Akshara Haasan on Tuesday jointly issued a statement announcing that the surgery of father Kamal Haasa’s leg was a success.
“We are happy to inform all of you that the surgery was a success! The surgery was performed on his leg this morning at Sri Ramachandra Hospital. performed by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mohan Kumar along with Dr. J.S.N Murthy. The Doctors, attendees and the Hospital Management are taking wonderful care of our father and he is doing well , is in good spirits and working toward a speedy recovery,” said the statement.
Kamal is expected to return home from the hospital after 4-5 days and will continue to be in bed rest for a few more days before returning to work.
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Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s visit to Delhi on Monday gained huge significance with multiple sources in the AIADMK and BJP mentioning negotiations to let V K Sasikala — the ousted party leader who is scheduled to be released from a jail in Bengaluru on or before January 27 — merge or join the AIADMK-BJP alliance before the Assembly polls.
Palaniswami is expected to talk politics with BJP bigwigs on Monday and Tuesday during the visit, which has been touted as one to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the inauguration of the newly-built Jayalalithaa Memorial in Chennai.
A senior BJP leader said Palaniswami’s meetings with Home Minister Amit Shah and PM Modi will discuss the political scenario too. “Election seat-sharing and alliance strengthening were pending for discussion,” the leader said, adding that Sasikala’s nephew and AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran had also expressed his willingness to join the AIADMK and “our leadership had a view that we should consider all possible options to make the alliance stronger”.
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A total of 235 flights will be operated between Chennai and major cities today, with 118 arrivals and 117 departures scheduled at the Chennai International Airport.
Dr V. Shanta, veteran in cancer care and one of the senior most oncologists who headed the Adyar Cancer Institute died early on Tuesday morning. She was 93.
After she complained of discomfort on Monday night, she was being taken to Apollo Hospitals in the city where doctors tried to remove a block in a blood vessel. She died at around 3.55 am.
Even as she had age related problems and had a stroke a decade ago, her colleagues said, she was active until her hospitalisation.
As a chairwoman of the Adyar Cancer Institute, which was started in 1954 with 12 beds and now runs with 423 beds and patients from all over the country, Dr Shantha had won several awards for her selfless work including Padma Vibhushan (2016), Padma Shri (1986), Padma Bhushan (2006) and the Magsaysay Award (2005).
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A total of 26 passengers who had returned to Tamil Nadu from UK and 20 of their primary contacts have tested positive for COVID-19 till date. Among the 26 primary cases, 19 of who tested negative in their follow up RT-PCR test have been discharged and kept under home quarantine. Similarly, 18 of the 20 contact cases have been discharged and kept under home quarantine.
Among the 26 primary cases, nine cases were reported in Chennai, three each in Thanjavur, Madurai, Nilgiris and Chengalpattu and one each in Theni, Nagapattinam, Coimbatore, Karur and Virudhunagar. Among the 20 contact cases, six were reported in Chennai, three in Thanjavur, two each in Nilgiris and Theni, four in Chengalpattu and three in Nagapattinam.
A total of 2300 passengers had travelled to Tamil Nadu from UK between November 25 and December 23, of which 2146 have been tested. Among these, 24 have tested positive, 2122 have tested negative and the tracing of more passengers is underway. Additionally, 3977 close contacts of the 2146 passengers who had tested negative were also tested for COVID-19 and were found to be negative.
A total of 518 passengers had travelled to Tamil Nadu from UK between January 8 and January 18, of which 360 have been tested. Among these, two have tested positive, 299 have tested negative and the results of 59 passengers are awaited. Tracing of further passengers is underway.
All the UK returnees and their contacts have been kept in isolation wards, according to the Tamil Nadu Health Department.
Tamil Nadu recorded 551 positive cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the state tally to 8,31,323. Among these, Chennai reported 158 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 2,29,238.
The state recorded eight deaths on Monday, putting the state toll at 12,272. All eight of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. The state discharged 758 patients following treatment, putting the total number of recoveries at 8,13,326.
As of Monday, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is 5725. Till date, 5,02,477 males, 3,28,812 females and 34 transgenders have tested positive for the virus in the state.
According to a bulletin released by the Health and Family Welfare Department of Tamil Nadu, 1,52,79,808 samples from the state have been sent for testing till date, with 50,501 samples having been sent yesterday. There are 252 COVID-19 testing facilities in the state, out of which 68 are government and 184 are private facilities.
Good morning!
Welcome to the live blog from Chennai and Hyderabad where we bring to you the latest updates on Tamil Nadu elections 2021, COVID-19 vaccination, COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, UK COVID-19 virus in Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and more across Chennai and Hyderabad throughout the day. Follow the blog to stay up to date with the states in real time.
K Lakshminarayanan, Parliamentary Secretary to Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, who tested positive for Covid-19 at a government hospital in Puducherry on Saturday was admitted to a private hospital in Chennai on Monday on his request.
Director of Department of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar told PTI that Lakshminarayanan had tested positive during examination of swabs at the government hospital on Saturday and had expressed willingness to be admitted to a private hospital in Chennai. (PTI)
Puducherry logged 23 new coronavirus cases during the last 24 hours taking, the overall tally to 38,669, a top Health department official said on Monday. The fresh cases were identified following the examination of 1,584 samples, Director of Department of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar said in a release.
One person aged 64 succumbed to the infection at the Government General Hospital last night, taking the toll to 643, he added. Mahe reported 13 of the 23 new cases followed by Puducherry (7) and Karaikal (3) while none was added from the Yanam region, he said adding the overall tally of infections rose to 38,669.
As many as 20 patients were discharged after recovery during the last 24 hours ending 10 AM Monday, the Health department Director said. The patient who succumbed to the virus had comorbidities, he added.
The number of active cases in the union territory stood at 286 while 37,740 patients had recovered and were discharged so far, Mohan Kumar said. He said as many as 5.37 lakh samples had been tested so far and 4.93 lakh of them turned out to be negative. The fatality and recovery rates were 1.66 per cent and 97.60 per cent respectively. (PTI)
Renowned Telugu film producer and distributor V. Doraswamy Raju passed away on Monday at a private hospital in Hyderabad due to cardiac arrest. Doraswamy Raju is the founder of VMC organizations that includes the film production house Vijaya Maruthi Creations and VMC film distributions. VMC was inaugurated by legendary actor NT Ramarao in 1978.
Raju has more than 700 movies to his credit as a film distributor and produced blockbuster films with actors Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Nagarjuna Akkineni, and Junior NTR. As a producer, he has bankrolled films like Seetharamaiah Gaari Manavaralu, Annamayya, Simhadri, President Gari Pellam, amongst others.
Besides the film production and distribution, Doraswamy Raju also served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Nagari constituency. He held the president positions of Film Chamber, Distribution Council, and Exhibitors Association too.
As the soon as the news flashed, tributes started pouring in from the film circuit.
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Actor Aari Arjuna was declared winner of reality show Bigg Boss Tamil Season 4 on Sunday. Aari took home Rs 50 lakh cash prize and the winner’s trophy.
Out of more than 31 crore votes during the final week of Bigg Boss Tamil Season 4, Aari received over 16 crore votes.
Aari Arjuna remained a favourite throughout the fourth season of Bigg Boss Tamil. His popularity with the audience went from strength to strength. He never hesitated to call a spade a spade, and didn’t back down from a fight. In fact, Aari thrived when he played alone. He was appreciated for his emotional maturity, especially while dealing with runner-up Balaji Murugadoss.
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The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) conducted 283 fever clinics in Chennai on Sunday. A total of 5474 people attended the clinics, with swabs collected from 54 people who were identified with ILI symptoms, while others were provided with medication for minor ailments.
The most number of camps were held in Tondiarpet (Zone 4) where 35 camps had been set up, while Manali (Zone 2) had the least with three camps.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday flagged off eight trains from various parts of the country connecting to Kevadiya in Gujarat, where the Statue of Unity is located, in a bid to increase tourism in the belt.
Addressing the video conference, Modi said, “Among the eight trains, one is also arriving from MG Ramachandran Central Railway Station in Chennai, Tamil Nadu (Kevadiya-Chennai (Chennai Kevadiya Weekly Express)) and it’s a pleasant coincidence that today is the birth anniversary of MGR, a leader who ruled over the hearts of the people, whether he was in films or politics. To commemorate the life and efforts of MGR, we have recently changed the name of Chennai Central Railway Station to MGR Central RS. I am also delighted that so many representatives from different states are attending the function.”
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With Assembly polls round the corner in Tamil Nadu, the Pongal festival and Jallikattu, the traditional bull-taming sport, have caught the attention of the BJP and Congress. While the BJP organised Pongal celebrations led by national and state leaders in several districts, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was in Madurai on Thursday to witness a Jallikattu event.
In the past, both the BJP and the Congress have faced public anger for their stands or Jallikattu, a controversial sport which has faced long legal battles over cruelty to animals, and which at the same time is a symbol of Tamil culture. In their present efforts to celebrate these cultural symbols ahead of elections, the two national parties have attacked each other over their past stands.
The two parties are competing with each other to assert their support to the Jallikattu event. Rahul Gandhi said at Madurai on Thursday that he had witnessed Jallikattu and that it was safer for both bulls and bull tamers. He also charged BJP with making efforts to suppress Tamil culture and language. For the BJP, national general secretary in charge of Tamil Nadu in-charge C T Ravi has accused Rahul of hypocrisy, reminding him of the UPA government’s stand that Jallikattu is “cruel and barabaric”.
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Telangana recorded 206 fresh COVID-19 cases on Sunday, taking the total positives to nearly 2.92 lakh while two fatalities pushed the toll to 1,579, the state government said on Monday.
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 45, followed by Karimnagar and Rangareddy with 17 and 16 respectively, it said in a bulletin.
The total number of cases stood at 2,91,872 while recoveries were at 2,86,244. As many as4,049 patients are under treatment and 21,893 samples were tested on Sunday. Cumulatively, over 74.83 lakh samples have been tested. The samples tested per million population was at 2.01 lakh, the bulletin said.
The case fatality rate in the state was 0.54 per cent while the recovery rate in Telangana was 98.07 per cent. (PTI)
Amid a political row in Andhra Pradesh over a series of incidents of vandalism of temples, with the ruling party and the Opposition pointing fingers at each other, The Indian Express has found that police investigations into these incidents show that the motive behind most of them was largely apolitical — from the hope of unearthing a treasure in one case to miscreants breaking into a temple in a drunken state in another.
On January 15, faced with political heat over these incidents of vandalism, the YSRCP government in Andhra Pradesh released investigation reports in nine cases, in which opposition TDP and BJP workers and sympathisers have been accused of spreading false news and instigating the attacks. The TDP and BJP hit back, saying the government was trying to blame the Opposition instead of going after those who indulged in vandalism.
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A total of 254 flights will be operated between Chennai and major cities today, with 127 arrivals and 127 departures scheduled at the Chennai International Airport.
A total of 26 passengers who had returned to Tamil Nadu from UK and 20 of their primary contacts have tested positive for COVID-19 till date. Among the 26 primary cases, 19 of who tested negative in their follow up RT-PCR test have been discharged and kept under home quarantine. Similarly, 16 of the 20 contact cases have been discharged and kept under home quarantine.
Among the 26 primary cases, nine cases were reported in Chennai, three each in Thanjavur, Madurai, Nilgiris and Chengalpattu and one each in Theni, Nagapattinam, Coimbatore, Karur and Virudhunagar. Among the 20 contact cases, six were reported in Chennai, three in Thanjavur, two each in Nilgiris and Theni, four in Chengalpattu and three in Nagapattinam.
A total of 2300 passengers had travelled to Tamil Nadu from UK between November 25 and December 23, of which 2146 have been tested. Among these, 24 have tested positive, 2122 have tested negative and the tracing of more passengers is underway. Additionally, 3942 close contacts of the 2146 passengers who had tested negative were also tested for COVID-19 and were found to be negative.
A total of 409 passengers had travelled to Tamil Nadu from UK between January 8 and January 17, of which 281 have been tested. Among these, two have tested positive, 256 have tested negative and the results of 23 passengers are awaited.
All the UK returnees and their contacts have been kept in isolation wards, according to the Tamil Nadu Health Department.
Tamil Nadu recorded 589 positive cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the state tally to 8,30,772. Among these, Chennai reported 164 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 2,29,074.
The state recorded seven deaths on Sunday, putting the state toll at 12,264. Six of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. The state discharged 770 patients following treatment, putting the total number of recoveries at 8,12,568.
As of Sunday, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is 5940. Till date, 5,02,161 males, 3,28,577 females and 34 transgenders have tested positive for the virus in the state.
According to a bulletin released by the Health and Family Welfare Department of Tamil Nadu, 1,52,29,307 samples from the state have been sent for testing till date, with 52,213 samples having been sent yesterday. There are 251 COVID-19 testing facilities in the state, out of which 68 are government and 183 are private facilities.
Good morning!
Welcome to the live blog from Chennai and Hyderabad where we bring to you the latest updates on Tamil Nadu elections 2021, COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, UK COVID-19 virus in Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and more across Chennai and Hyderabad throughout the day. Follow the blog to stay up to date with the states in real time.