No Need For Complete Lockdown As Of Now: Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian

After tightening the restriction in the state, Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Tuesday asserted that the complete lockdown could be the last resort and it is not required as of now

Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian. (Photo: Twitter/ANI)

New Delhi: Tamil Nadu has announced fresh lockdown curbs ahead of the Pongal festivals as the Covid cases in the state sore to nearly 14,000 cases in 24 hours. After tightening the restriction in the state, Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Tuesday asserted that the complete lockdown could be the last resort and it is not required as of now and he reiterated that the restricted lockdown imposed is sufficient for the current Covid situation in the state.

Speaking to media after imposing new restrictions due to the surge in Covid cases, the health minister said, "There is no need for full lockdown as of now. CM has asserted that the economy should not be affected, restricted lockdown enough for now."

According to an NDTV report, the Test Positivity rate (TPR), which is a crucial parametre that measures the severity of virus spread, has crossed 10 per cent in Tamil Nadu. The 13,990 cases detected on Monday were among the 1,35,266 samples tested across the state. Also, 11 deaths were reported taking the total death toll in the state due to Covid-19 to 36,866.

Chennai continued to top the districts with 6,190 cases followed by Chengalpattu (1,696) and Thiruvallur (1,054), Coimbatore (602), Kancheepuram (508), Trichy (348). The state hasn't recorded new Omicron cases as 185 people were reported to have tested positive for the latest variant of Covid of which 179 have been discharged.