Tamil Nadu govt to intensify containment measures after 33 new COVID-19 cases

Tamil Nadu on Wednesday reported 33 new cases of COVID-19, as the government intensified steps to curb the pandemic spread in Chennai with the appointment of two IAS officers to oversee containment strategy including testing those with symptoms like fever for the virus.

As many as four journalists from the city tested positive, a day after 25 staffers including journalists from a Tamil TV channel reported positive for the infection.

The four have been admitted to the exclusive COVID-19 hospital at the Omandurar Estate and are undergoing treatment, a senior health official said.

While three of them work for a Tamil TV news channel, the fourth was from another vernacular news channel. Earlier, a large number of journalists in the city volunteered for testing after a scribe from a Tamil newspaper and a TV journalist tested positive on Sunday.

Chennai continued to top the state's COVID-19 numbers with 373 infections on Wednesday, as new proposed measures included complete curb on public movement in containment zones and expediting contact tracing.

Catering to frontline workers, the government hiked the solatium to Rs 50 lakh from the existing Rs 10 lakh, for those professionals who lose their lives fighting against the deadly virus.

In a related development, the Madras High Court rejected a plea seeking disclosure of the identities of COVID-19 patients in the state so that people who came in contact with them can go for self-quarantine.

On Wednesday, the government said 33 new COVID-19 positive cases were reported in the state. With no fresh deaths, the toll from the virus remained at 18, a bulletin issued by the Health department said.

The additions pushed the cumulative tally to 1,629, even as 662 people have been discharged, including 27 today. Following the fresh numbers, Chennai had 373 positive cases followed by Coimbatore 134 and Tiruppur at 109.

Nearly 23,760 people were under home quarantine while 155 were in government facilities, it said. With Chennai topping the chart, the government announced intensified measures to check the spread of the pandemic.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami said a series of measures were being implemented to check the spread of the contagion in the city.

"Considering the prevailing situation, I have directed steps to completely curb public movement in containment zones, expedite contact tracing and subject them to tests, and carry out coronavirus testing on those in the city limits with symptoms like breathlessness, fever, and throat pain," he said in a statement.

Two IAS officials have been additionally appointed as zonal officers for this purpose, he said. Further, he announced an increase in the solatium for frontline workers in the battle, from the existing Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.

The gesture applies to medical professionals at state-run government hospitals, health or sanitation workers and police, besides employees of local bodies who die contracting the lethal virus while on coronavirus containment work.

Also, kin of the deceased would be provided a government job, based on their qualification, he said. Further, steps would be taken to offer protection for their funerals, whether they were government or private staff.

"It is the duty of the government to honour the selfless service of the frontline workers," he said. Medical professionals and health workers serving in both government and private hospitals would be honoured with appropriate awards if they lost their lives while fighting against COVID-19, he added.

The Madras High Court dismissed a plea seeking disclosure of identities of COVID-19 patients to enable those who had come in contact with them go for self-quarantine.

A special bench of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and M Nirmal Kumar dismissed a public interest litigation petition which also sought a direction to the state government to monitor COVID-19 patients for at least three months after recovery.

The petitioner contended that considering the nature of the contagious disease and its impact on the public, unless the identity of affected persons was revealed it would be impossible for others to know whether they have come across an infected person and decide on self quarantining them.

The COVID-19 bulletins issued by the state government only mention the city/town, age, gender and primary or secondary contact details of patients.

Meanwhile, a section of resident doctors at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital threatened to "withhold" all COVID-19 related duties from Wednesday evening demanding quarantine facilities for them but dropped the move following an assurance from the chief minister on ensuring their safety, officials said.