Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday announced that the solatium to families of front line workers who died fighting COVID-19 would be increased from ₹10 lakh to ₹50 lakh.
In a statement, Mr. Palaniswami said that a family member of the deceased would be given a government job based on qualifications. “The solatium is applicable to the Health, Police and Local Administration departments, whose workers are involved in the fight against COVID-19, on a war footing,” he added.
The Centre had announced a medical insurance cover of ₹50 lakh for health workers battling the disease, Mr. Palaniswami noted.
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The CM said that the State government would take all possible steps to provide protection during front line workers’ funerals, irrespective of whether the deceased were government or private sector staff. “It is the duty of the government to honour the selfless service of front line staff,” he said.
Mr. Palaniswami also announced that doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers of both government and private hospitals, who die fighting COVID-19, would be honoured with awards.
“If a health worker serving in a private hospital contracts COVID-19, permission will be granted to examine all those serving in the unit, as per protocol. After measures are taken to prevent the spread of the disease, medical services will be allowed to resume in the unit,” the CM said.
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He said that he had instructed officials to intensify precautionary and screening measures in Chennai to identify those with symptoms such as breathing difficulty, cold and cough, and trace contacts of those who had tested positive for COVID-19. IAS officers Karthikeyan and Baskaran had been tasked with the exercise, he added.