An expert committee of 19 doctors, set up by the government of Tamil Nadu, has recommended an extension of the ongoing lockdown by 14 days in the state.
Speaking to the media after a two-hour meeting with the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Friday, Dr Prabhdeep Kaur from the National Institute of Epidemiology, run by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said, “Whatever be the efforts taken, the number of cases has been increasing, especially in the past week. So all experts in the team feel that it would be better if the lockdown is extended for 14 days more. This is the recommendation of the committee.”
The committee has also recommended that during this extended 14-day period, the government must carry out extensive testing of the contacts of those who are positive. “If we have that data, we can make an informed decision after the two weeks-period,” pointed out Dr Prabhdeep.
While appreciating the efforts of the Tamil Nadu government in identifying, isolating and treating COVID-19 patients, the 19-member committee also emphasised the need to keep the doctors protected since they are an inevitable part of the state’s fight against the novel coronavirus. The comments come in the backdrop of at least three doctors being tested positive for the disease in Tamil Nadu as of Thursday.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had, on Wednesday, announced that a decision on the extension of lockdown will be taken after considering the recommendations of the 19-member expert committee and 12 committees of senior bureaucrats and Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officials. Following the expert committee’s recommendations on Friday, the Chief Minister has called for a state cabinet meeting on Saturday at 5 pm to discuss further options regarding the lockdown.
As of Thursday evening, the state has reported 834 cases of COVID-19 patients, of which 21 have recovered so far. Eight patients have died during the treatment for novel coronavirus in the state so far.