Tamil Nadu Covid-19 wrap: 15,379 new cases, minister says no lockdown in state after Pongal

Earlier today, Health Minister Ma Subramanian ruled out the possibility of a full lockdown in Tamil Nadu after Pongal. He said following the safety guidelines issued by the government and wearing masks are enough to tackle the current scenario of Covid-19.

“A complete lockdown is not necessary. Chief Minister MK Stalin doesn’t want the economy and the livelihood of the people to be affected. But at the same time, he wants the public to be 100 per cent safe and thus, we have restrictions in place. People need to follow that,” he added.

He also said the state has stopped sending samples for Omicron confirmation to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) as the patients are getting discharged before the results could come. He said they will send only samples from cluster areas.

Colleges to remain closed till January 31

All colleges (barring medical) will remain closed till January 31 as part of the restrictions in view of the surge in Covid-19 cases. However, online classes can be conducted if necessary.

On Monday, Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy said University semester exams that were slated after January 20 have been deferred indefinitely due to the Covid-19 situation. He said the decision has been taken in consultation with the CM who was keen on students’ welfare. He said practical exams will be conducted.

Ponmudy said they have now announced study leave for students, and urged the students to utilise the time to prepare for the exams whenever they are announced. He added that government will take a call depending on the Covid-19 situation whether to conduct the exams offline or online.

No masks, No liquor

The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) has issued a circular to all the shop owners directing them to adhere to the Covid-19 guidelines issued by the government. The corporation listed a set of instructions which included that liquor should only be sold to those who wear masks. The shop owners have been told to ensure that physical distancing is maintained between two people while standing in a queue and not more than five people are gathered at a time in the shop.

Cases continue to surge in Puducherry

Puducherry registered a spike with 655 infections taking the overall tally to 1,31,866. The test positivity rate in the Union Territory however dropped to 16.51 per cent against 31.15 per cent recorded on Monday, a release from Director of Health and Family Welfare Services G. Sriramulu said.

The 655 fresh cases were identified at the end of the examination of 3967 samples and the cases were spread over Puducherry 535, Karaikal 93 and Mahe 27. There was no fresh fatality during the last twenty-four hours and the toll remained 1882.

The active cases stood at 2355 of whom 130 patients were in hospitals and the remaining 2225 patients in home isolation, Sriramulu said. The department has administered so far 14,76, 572 doses. This included 8,93,365 first doses, 5,82,858 second and 349 booster doses.

Tamil Nadu Government on Monday imposed a set of fresh restrictions to curb the spread of the virus. In a release, it was noted that as there is a chance of a large gathering of people in the festival period, all places of worship will remain closed from January 14 till January 18. The state will observe a complete lockdown on January 16 (Sunday). Buses will be permitted to run with 75 per cent seating capacity to benefit those who would be travelling to other cities for the Pongal festival.

(With PTI inputs)