Intensify measures to combat COVID-19 during intense lockdown

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday directed District Collectors to intensify measures like door-to-door survey to detect people with COVID-19 symptoms during the week-long intense lockdown commencing on May 24.

Conducting medical camps for early detection of infected people, increasing testing, and continuation of the vaccination drive without slackness were among the measures the Chief Minister underscored.

Addressing Collectors, police superintendents, and medical authorities through video conferencing from the Secretariat here, Stalin said steps should be taken to ensure the supply of vegetables, fruits, milk, and drinking water during the intense lockdown. Monitoring availability of oxygen and life-saving drugs and bringing down disease transmission in their respective districts should be the goal of collectors, he said.

While making efforts to see that people complied with lockdown norms to break the chain of virus transmission, it should also be ensured that exempted activities like transportation of farm produce were not affected. Supply of quality food, milk, and water for in-patients in government hospitals must be ensured. Also, there should be no difficulty in taking people -with symptoms or those who test positive- to hospitals.

The Chief Minister exuded confidence that when district administrations, elected representatives, and voluntary organizations worked in tandem with the general public on tackling COVID-19, the effort would succeed.

A two-week lockdown commenced on May 10 in Tamil Nadu and the government on Saturday announced the extension of curbs for one more week from May 24.

Also, the government has brought in fresh restrictions between May 24 and 31, including the closure of vegetable shops and provision stores, which were allowed earlier to work between 6 AM and 10 AM. The government had said the horticulture department would ensure supplies of vegetables and fruits through mobile outlets across the state.