Three new COVID-19 positive cases were reported in Tamil Nadu on Thursday.
One of them is a 24-year-old male who recently returned from Dubai and is currently in isolation in KAPV Medical College Hospital in Trichy.
The others are a 24-year-old male who had returned from London and a 65-year-old female from Chennai with contact history who are both admitted in Kilpauk Medical College Hospital.
In the early hours of Wednesday, 25 March, a 54-year-old man infected with coronavirus died at a hospital in Madurai, state Health Minister C Vijayabaskar said.
The patient had a medical history of steroid-dependent COPD, uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension, the minister said.
The health minister had also announced that the second patient has recovered well and has tested negative in the two COVID-19 tests now. He is likely to be discharged in two days, he said.The total number of COVID-19 cases in the state has gone up to 29, including one other patient who has recovered and been discharged.
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The Numbers
In Tamil Nadu, based on the medical bulletin released by the state health department on 26 March, here are the latest statistics:
Samples of 962 people are processed of which 933 samples are negative, 29 samples are positive for COVID-19 infection and 77 samples are under process.
2,09,284 passengers have been screened at the airports of Chennai, Trichy, Madurai, and Coimbatore.
15,788 passengers are under home quarantine for 28 days.
The 86,644 passengers' list as given by bureau of immigration are being verified.
109 asymptomatic passengers from highly affected countries are being quarantined in facilities near the airport and 284 are under hospital isolation.
Samples have been sent for testing at King Institute of Preventive Medicine & Research, Guindy Chennai, National Institute of Virology, Pune, Theni VRDL, Thiruvarur VRDL, Tirunelveli VRDL, RGGGH VDRL, Coimbatore VRDL, Salem VRDL, Villupuram VRDL and Madurai VRDL.
Ministry of Health approved on Wednesday the eighth COVID testing lab at Madurai Rajaji Medical College.
List of Services That Will Be Open
Section 144 of the CrPC has been imposed in Tamil Nadu and people have been advised to stay indoors.
However, shops of essential products such as milk, vegetables, fruits, provisions and meat will remain open.
People are not allowed to venture in groups and should step out only to purchase essentials to sustain themselves. It is advisable that only one family member goes out for shopping and should sanitise himself/herself as soon as he/she returns home.
Koyambedu wholesale vegetable and fruit market is now out of bounds for public and will be only open for the retailers, announced Chennai Corporation in a release on Tuesday.
People are advised to buy groceries in their own areas and should avoid visiting big markets like Koyambedu, Chintadripet or Kothavalchavadi.
However, in markets at Aminjikarai and others, vendors put up shops in close proximity and people have been coming in large numbers to buy produce.
The police personnel are instructing the vendors to open shops alternately and also urged them to wear masks.
Meanwhile, in several other places like in Puducherry, markings were made on the roads, to make sure people stood at a safe distance, even while procuring essentials.
Eight police check posts have been set up in Chennai Corporation limits. Police are stopping vehicles on the road and questioning them on the purpose of their travel.
The state school education department has been instructed to declare all students of Classes 1 to 9 as 'All Pass.'
List of Services That Will Be Closed
- All educational institutions, theatres, malls, gyms, amusement parks, swimming pools will remain closed
- All government and private inter-state bus services will not operate
- Wedding halls must not take fresh bookings until further orders
- Planned events can take place, but the advisory is to keep the crowds to a bare minimum, limiting to 10-20 guests.
- No permission granted for rallies, public meetings, summer camps, conferences, exhibitions, cultural or sporting events
- Places of worship and beaches closed.
- Sports arenas, bars, clubs and other recreational facilities shut
- Resorts to remain closed during the period and cannot accept any advance booking .
- TASMACs, that is the state-owned liquor shops, to be shut down
- Anganwadi centres will be closed but dry rations for children in these anganwadis would be handed over to their parents.
Meanwhile, actor-politician Kamal Haasan took to Twitter on Wednesday offering to convert his former house into a temporary hospital if needed and if the government permits.
His tweet read, "At this crucial time, I am willing to convert my former house into a temporary hospital. The doctors in Makkal Needhi Maiam are ready to serve the patients also if government permits. In this time of crisis, I am trying to help the people, to bring the people in the justice system, the building that was my home, to temporarily help the people." [sic]
The building has been the office for his party Makkal Needhi Maiam.
Medical Facilities in Place in the State
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami also announced a budget of Rs 500 crore to fight the pandemic in the state.
Private hospitals have been instructed to make sure at least 750 beds are ready for isolation wards.
The Chennai Corporation said a green sticker will be pasted on the 3,000 houses where the residents have been instructed to remain quarantined.
ICMR has announced two private labs in Tamil Nadu - Department of Clinical Virology, CMC, Vellore and Department of Laboratory Services, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise
Ltd, Chennai - to conduct Covid-19 detection tests.
Doctors, nurses, paramedics and sanitary workers involved in treating COVID-19 patients in isolation at government hospitals in Tamil Nadu will get a special pay of a month’s salary, announced the state chief minister.
You could also log on to the web portal launched by the Tamil Nadu health department – http://stopcoronatn.in – as a one-stop centre for all queries on the coronavirus disease.
People with travel history and showing symptoms can self-report on the portal, following which the 24x7 control room will get in touch with them.
The 24x7 helpline numbers are 044 - 29510400/ 044 - 29510500/ 9444340496/ 8754448477.
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