Coronavirus | Tamil Nadu Health Secretary cautions against laxity among public and officials

Nine districts are reporting a TPR higher than 2% of which five possessed 3% or more.

J. Radhakrishnan at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai. File Photo

Principal Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Department J. Radhakrishnan on Sunday cautioned against laxity among sections of public and officials in taking measures to control the spike in COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu.

Addressing the media after inspecting the allocation of more than 300 additional beds for COVID-19 at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, he acknowledged that there was some laxity among a section of officials and stressed on the need to not squander the gains achieved earlier due to effective control and monitoring measures.

Highlighting that only nine districts in Tamil Nadu had a test positivity rate (TPR) higher than 2% and only five of them had more than 3% at the moment, he said that officials have been asked to strictly implement the “test, track and treat” strategy.

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“For every person testing positive, we are asking field workers to test at least 30 of their contacts,” he said.

Pointing out that more cases were reported in clusters in apartment complexes during the second surge of cases happening now, he said that the ITIHAS software developed by IIT Madras was also being used to proactively identify potential hotspots.

He urged the people to always wear masks and maintain personal distancing wherever possible. He reiterated that those who can work from home must opt for that.

He appealed to all those who are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination to get vaccinated at the earliest.

Lockdown

To a question on the possibility of imposition of another lockdown, he said that the government will not take any sudden decision that will cause panic among the public. He said that the situation was different now with the availability of adequate health infrastructure and vaccines.

The overall situation and the spread of the disease were being monitored on a daily basis by the Core Committee formed by the Chief Secretary. Highlighting that the country was now in the “Unlock 6” phase, he said that the benefits and restrictions in the earlier “Unlock 4” and “Unlock 5” phases were being looked into.