Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday directed District Collectors to intensify measures like door to door survey to detect people with COVID-19 symptoms during the week long intense lockdown commencing on May 24.
Conducting medical camps for early detection of infected people, increasing testing and continuation of the vaccination drive without slackness were among the measures the Chief Minister underscored.
Addressing Collectors, police superintendents and medical authorities through video conferencing from the Secretariat here, Stalin said steps should be taken to ensure supply of vegetables, fruits, milk and drinking water during the intense lockdown.
Monitoring availability of oxygen and life saving drugs and bringing down disease transmission in their respective districts should be the goal of collectors, he said.
While taking efforts to see that people complied with lockdown norms to break the chain of virus transmission, it should also be ensured that exempted activities like transportation of farm produce were not affected.
Supply of quality food, milk and water for in-patients in government hospitals must be ensured. Also, there should be no difficulty in taking people -with symptoms or those who test positive- to hospitals.
The Chief Minister exuded confidence that when district administrations, elected representatives and voluntary organisations worked in tandem with the general public on tackling COVID-19, the effort would succeed.
Meanwhile,the government said the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund (CMPRF) has received contributions totaling Rs 181 crore as on May 23 towards COVID-19 initiatives and Stalin has ordered allocation of Rs 50 crore for procuring RT-PCR testing kits.
On an average, about 1.6 lakh samples were being tested (RT-PCR) daily in Tamil Nadu.
Already, Rs 50 crore was allotted from the CMPRF for procuring life saving drugs for government hospitals and containers to bring Liquid Medical Oxygen through trains.
Donors are welcome to contribute to the relief fund online at https://ereceipt.tn.gov.in/cmprf/Cmprf and they should avoid visiting the Chief Minister in view of the lockdown, a government release said.
A two-week lockdown commenced on May 10 in Tamil Nadu and the government on Saturday announced extension of curbs for one more week from May 24.
Also, the government has brought in additional restrictions between May 24 and 31, including closure of vegetable shops and provision stores, which were allowed earlier to work between 6 AM and 10 AM.
In line with the government's earlier announcement that arrangements would be made to ensure supplies of vegetables and fruits through mobile outlets, Stalin inaugurated the outlets here.
The government said 1,610 vehicles would be deployed in Chennai to sell about 1,160 tonnes of veggies and fruits.
In the rest of Tamil Nadu, 2,770 vehicles would ensure supplies of 2,228 tonnes and procurement shall be from local farmers.
People can call 044-22253884 for information on distribution of vegetables, it said, adding that during the one-week intense lockdown, the mobile sale in local neighbourhoods would be between 7 AM and 1 pm everyday.