Tamil Nadu extends COVID-19 lockdown till April 30
The Tamil Nadu government extended the COVID-19 lockdown till April 30 with existing relaxations and restrictions, and will effectively implement the test-track-treat protocol to contain the spread, according to an order issued by Chief Secretary Rajeev Ranjan. According to the order, the RT-PCR tests need to be uniformly distributed across all districts with adequate testing in districts reporting a high number of infections.
Guidelines on tracking new cases in the state
On tracking new cases, Ranjan said the new infections detected due to intensive testing need to be isolated, and their contacts have to be traced at the earliest and quarantined. "Effective demarcation of containment zones in vulnerable and high incidence areas will break the chain of transmission and control the spread. The containment zones shall be carefully demarcated by the district authorities," he said.
Ranjan talked about COVID-19 treatment protocol to be followed
On treatment protocol, Ranjan said quick isolation of COVID-19 patients is needed in care facilities or at home and clinical interventions shall be administered. "Effective infection prevention and control practices shall be followed in treatment facilities and by healthcare workers," he said. The district administration has been told to take measures to promote COVID-19-appropriate behavior and strict adherence to face masks and social distancing.
Provisions of Section 144 of CrPC should be used
The district collectors shall strictly enforce the COVID-19 guidelines and for the enforcement of social distancing, the district administrations, as far as possible, use the provisions of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). "Based on the assessment of the situation, local restrictions at district/sub-district and city/ward level with a view to containing the spread of COVID-19 shall be imposed," Ranjan said.
Relevant action will be taken against violators
"Any person found violating COVID-19 guidelines and measures would be liable to be proceeded against under the Disaster Management Act, besides legal action under the Indian Penal Code and other legal provisions as applicable," Ranjan said.
Vaccination essential to break the chain of transmission: Ranjan
On the vaccination drive, Ranjan said inoculation against COVID-19 in the present scenario was critical to break the chain of transmission. Therefore, the district administration shall rapidly step up the pace of vaccination to cover all priority groups, as recommended by the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 and approved by the Centre, in an expeditious manner, he added.
