Tamil Nadu is in Stage - II of COVID-19 (local transmission of the virus) and there is a possibility of the State progressing into Stage -III (community transmission), but the government has been taking proactive steps to control this, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami said on Thursday.
Also read: Coronavirus | Shops selling essential commodities will close at 1 p.m. from Sunday, says Palaniswami
“The government has been taking efforts to contain it within Stage-II,” he told journalists after chairing a review meeting with members of 12 coordination teams at the Secretariat.
When asked about the possibility of extending the ongoing lockdown beyond April 14, Mr. Palaniswami said , “The decision would be taken only on the basis of the severity of the spread [of the pandemic]. The spread has been increasing day by day... Every other day, Coronavirus spread has been on the rise.”
The inputs of the 19-member medical experts’ team along with reports from the 12 coordination teams comprising IAS officers already constituted, would be considered before deciding on extending the lockdown, he added.
The Chief Minister again called upon people with COVID-19 symptom to go to the nearby hospitals for treatment. “People should not step out unnecessarily except for essentials. As I said earlier, shop and stock for a week... We don’t want to lose even a single life to this,” he said.
