Chennai: Caught between lives and livelihood, Tamilnadu is in a Catch-22 situation, so to speak. While coronavirus cases are on a constant rise on on one hand, livelihood is being lost on the other, due to the extensions of lockdown. Hence, it is trying to work out a strategy to strike a fine balance.
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami will today hold a discussion with medical experts, to seek their view on controlling the spread of coronavirus in the State and easing of restrictions, with the fourth phase of lockdown coming to an end on 31 May.
According to sources, the discussion will be held at the State Secretariat, during which views of the health team will be sought by the Chief Minister, since the State is witnessing steady increase in the number of Covid-19 cases. He will hold discussions with top officials from other departments too, it is said.
Sources say that lockdown, which is in its fourth phase now, will be extended for one more time, however with more relaxations.
Seven more people succumbed to the coronavirus in Tamilnadu, which witnessed its highest single day spike of 805 cases, taking the infection count in the state to 17,082, Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar said.
With the new fatalities, the death toll in the state has risen to 118. Chennai continued to lead in the number of positive cases with 549 recorded on Tuesday, the Minister told reporters.
The number of recoveries also was significant at 407, constituting more than half of the people who turned positive on Monday.
The 19-member Committee of medical experts, formed to track the spread of coronavirus in the State, recently recommended extension on the current lockdown in Tamilnadu.
The recommendation was made to Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami at a nearly two-hour long meeting during which the prevailing COVID-19 situation and also the steady increase in the number of positive cases, was discussed.