After a high-level meeting between Chief Minister MK Stalin and officials on June 4; the government is likely to extend the COVID-19 lockdown till June 14, but with a few relaxations. In the meeting that lasted for over two hours; top government officials discussed the possibility of relaxation in a few districts, where the cases have been declining. According to reports, medical experts had earlier suggested that the lockdown should be extended for one more week.
According to the daily COVID-19 bulletins, Tamil Nadu has seen a significant decrease in its caseload. From reporting almost 36,000 cases per day previously, the number came down to 24,405 cases on June 3. However, districts like Coimbatore, Chennai, Trichy, Erode, Tirupur and Salem are still recording more than 1,000 cases per day.
Tamil Nadu has now set up a committee to look into the state’s preparedness for a third wave of the coronavirus infections.
Tamil Nadu went into lockdown on May 8 first. This was further extended till June 7. However, it was expected that the state would not open up completely as the Test Positivity Rate is still relatively high in many districts.
The Union government had announced on May 1 that districts should open up only if the test positivity rate is below 5% for at least a week. The government has also recommended that a minimum of 70% of the vulnerable population — persons above the age of 60 and those above 45 years with comorbidities — are vaccinated.
Neighbouring state of Karnataka too announced an extension of its lockdown.
Earlier in a video message released, the Chief Minister had said that lockdown cannot be extended indiscriminately. “We cannot keep extending the lockdown and there has to be a full stop to this soon. It is only in people’s hands. There can be a full stop to the spread of COVID-19 only if restrictions are followed completely,” Stalin said.