Lockdown in Tamil Nadu again? Health Secretary answers

The second wave of Covid-19 in the state, as well as the country, appears to be more virulent as the infection is spreading at a much faster rate than during the first wave of the pandemic. Tamil Nadu recorded 7819 cases of the virus on Wednesday, with growing concern among people over the possibility of another statewide lockdown.

Tamil Nadu health secretary J Radhakrishnan has mentioned that the state government has no imminent plans of lockdown as of now and that the next two weeks are going to be crucial. “Maharashtra, which declared lockdown, has 60,000 cases per day and about 5 lakh active cases. The next two weeks are going to be crucial for us. We must restrict unnecessary travels and visits to public places. Covid protocols must be strictly adhered to for the next two weeks. There may be a public impression that life is normal in the state but it is not. So people should stop going out. As the severity of the infection will be lesser among people who are vaccinated, we request everyone to volunteer to take the vaccine shots,” the health secretary was quoted as saying. “We will also hold discussions with resident welfare associations for raising Covid-19 awareness,” he said, adding that organizations must provide work-from-home option for their employees.

Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabaskar had earlier said that a second lockdown was not on the cards as of now and that the government hoped for better public cooperation. “We are looking to curb the transmission from the primary sources. Measures to avoid overcrowding, including the closure of schools and colleges, are being taken. Public cooperation is essential to control the spread of the infection. A lockdown, as was done last year, is not being considered as of now,” he had stated.