The Tamil Nadu government will step up vigil, strictly enforce guidelines and impose a fine on those not wearing a facemask in public places as fresh cases of Covid-19 infections rise.

At a Covid-19 review meeting, Chief Secretary Rajeev Ranjan on Tuesday instructed district Collectors to strictly enforce the Standard Operating Procedures issued by the government and to impose a fine on violators under the Public Health Act. Respective local bodies, health, police and revenue department officials were also asked to ensure compliance, according to an official statement.

Non-compliance of the norms was reported to be the major reason for spike in new infections in the State.

Also, failure to follow the procedures is reported to be reasons for rise in new clusters in banks and schools, among others.

Though the number of Covid-19 cases in Tamil Nadu had been less than 500 a day, it had risen during the past 10 days, particularly, it is more in Chennai and Coimbatore districts. Presently, the daily infections have increased to 800-plus a day now. The number of persons on treatment, which was less than 4,000 during the first week of March, has also been on the rise.

Ranjan also instructed district Collectors to ensure that the guidelines issued by the government are complied with in all places, including companies, banks, government and private offices, factories, schools, wedding halls, eateries, tourist hubs and places of worship. He also ordered the undertaking of RT-PCR tests for those with symptoms without any delay.

New cases on the rise

New infections continued to rise in Tamil Nadu with 867 persons testing positive on Tuesday, while 561 people recovered, 5 people lost their lives. Cumulative number of people tested positive till date was 8.61 lakh, while the number of active cases stood at 5,450 as of March 16. Chennai has been witnessing a big spike in new cases with 352 people testing positive on Tuesday compared 200-plus a week ago.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW