Lockdown extension not recommended: Tamil Nadu Medical panel

Talking to reporters after the meeting held on the eve of the fifth phase lockdown, including the 12-day complete and total lockdown in Chennai and three neighbouring districts, coming to an end, National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE) Deputy Director Dr Prabhdeep Kaur said the expert committee
has not recommended extension of lockdown to the Chief Minister.

Asserting that continuously extending the lockdown to prevent spread of the virus was not the solution, she said taking into account the socio-economic issues the panel did not recommend extending it beyond June 30.

''Lockdown is not the only solution for bringing down the cases. We have not recommended extension of lockdown,'' she said, adding, it was for the government to take a decision on whether to extend the lockdown or not.

She also said the expert team has suggested to the government to tighten the lockdown restrictions in districts where the cases were high.

She said as far as Chennai is concerned, which has recorded close to 54,000 cases and 809 of the total 1,079 deaths in the State, the doubling time has reduced and the transmission has slowed down.

Allaying the fears of the people about the significant spike in cases, she said increased testing has led to increase in positive cases and more than 80 per cent of cases were only mild ones.

''There is no need for any fear,'' she said.

Dr Kaur said it was good that more than 10,000 samples were being tested in Chennai on a daily basis and that the corona fatality rate in Tamil Nadu was the lowest in the country.

Attributing the increase in cases in some districts due to opening up of public transport facilities, she said the panel has suggested the government to increase the testing in Trichy, Madurai, Vellore and Tiruvannamalai, which has been witnessing spike in cases, and replicate the Chennai model of aggressive screening and testing across the State.