Other states reciprocating our help to migrants: CM

“I have made requests to other state chief ministers to take care of the Tamils and they are being attended by the respective states and we are also taking care of the migrant workers stranded in Tamil Nadu,” the Chief Minister said. Workers from West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Assam are housed at various camps in Tamil Nadu and the district administration is providing the basic amenities for these workers. Most of the labourers have been working in automobile units, hotels, farmlands and textile units, the Chief Minister said.

He also enquired about the food and shelter being provided to them and interacted with a few migrant

workers. EPS also discussed the clothes and the basic sanitary materials provided to the migrant workers and assured comfortable stay during the lockdown period.

Earlier in the day, EPS also discussed the provisions being made to attend the aged, people with hearing impairment and the destitute. He also directed the Commissioner of Disaster Management to coordinate in implementing the provisions of the state disaster management rules and advised the officials to increase awareness among the public to practise social distancing.

The Chief Minister also enquired about the status of the goods that are awaited from other states and

instructed the officials to clear the bottlenecks that can facilitate the movement of agricultural products

within the state.

Meanwhile, a statement from the Social Welfare Department said that the state helpline numbers 04428590804 and 044-28599188 will be available for the elderly to register their complaints from 10 am to 5 pm. For aged people and the differentlyabled, a dedicated tollfree number 1800 4250111 will be available for roundtheclock assistance. Those with speech and hearing impairment can dial 9700799993 for sign language video conference assistance, the release said.

The State government, through a Government Order (GO), has designated 21 Government Hospitals (GHs) in the state to exclusively treat COVID-19 patients.

The list includes four from Chennai such as Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Stanley Medical College Hospital, Kilpauk Medical College Hospital and Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital in Omandurar Estate. The remaining 17 government hospitals are located in 17 districts of Vellore, Salem, Coimbatore, Erode, Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri, Karur, Villupuram, Tiruchy, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Cuddalore, Sivaganga, Madurai, Theni, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari. Of these 17 hospitals, some of them will cover COVID-19 patients from more than one district so that the entire state is covered. For insurance, Vellore GH will have patients from Ranipet and Tirupattur districts and Tirunelveli GH will have parents from Thoothukudi and Tenkasi district too. Through the GO, the government directs that all the COVID-19 patients should be directed to the above designated hospitals as soon as they test positive. Apart from these designated hospitals, all the 37 districts will have isolation and quarantine wards.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said that 46,046 cases were filed against people violating prohibitory orders and 50,393 persons were booked and released on bail. 31,760 vehicles violating the ban orders were seized. He also said that the Union Home Ministry had directed the State government to strictly implement the prohibitory orders and till now the State has not exerted too much pressure on the public for not following prohibitory orders but as public fail to cooperate the State had decided to tighten the screws by implementing the prohibitory orders strictly.

Speaking about the action taken against people spreading rumours, the Chief Minister said that 92 cases were filed against people spreading rumours about coronavirus and 95 were arrested.