Covid-19 in Tamil Nadu: Kasimedu fishing harbour barred for public; 81% recovery rate in Chennai – The Indian Express

Fishermen will be allowed to sell to vendors by fishermen to vendors between 3 am and 8 am, after people thronged the harbour to buy fish, flouting anti-COVID norms like social distancing. Express Photo: Shivani Ramakrishnan (Representational)

The Tamil Nadu government Tuesday announced that the general public will not be allowed to enter Kasimedu fishing harbour in Chennai to buy fish, effective from today as a part of anti-Covid measures.

Further, several regulations such as a fixed time slot for sale by fishermen to vendors between 3 am and 8 am have been introduced against the backdrop of people thronging the harbour to buy fish, often flouting social distancing norms.

As per decisions taken at a high-level meeting by top officials and representatives of mechanised boats association and traders, only 50 to 70 boats will be allowed to go fishing per day from the harbour, Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar said.

“The general public shall not be allowed to enter the harbour under any circumstances to buy fish,” he said in a statement. Permission will be given only to 50 mechanised boats to sell their catch at the landing site and sale by fishermen to vendors will be limited to five hours from 3 am to 8 am.

Traders will be allowed to enter the harbour only in batches of 150 people, with each group being allowed once the previous batch has completed its purchases. Those operating mechanised boats should not put up their catch for sale in the vicinity of fishermen working on catamarans, the minister said, adding the norms are effective from today.

81 per cent recovery rate in Chennai as of Monday

Aggressive and focused testing has helped Chennai control the spread of Covid-19, the city’s corporation officials said. Positive cases are identified at an early stage, they say, with the help of door to door surveillance and fever camps. The corporation has introduced mobile testing centers in densely populated areas to identify potential cases and avoid unnecessary movement of asymptomatic patients.

READ | How is Chennai faring in its fight against Covid?

“There used to be a time when Royapuram and Tondiarpet used to have 200 cases per day; now we are getting maximum 50-80 cases a day. The testing has been increased, the positivity has substantially reduced. Once if someone is found symptomatic, we quarantine them till their results come out. If they are negative, we will tear off the sticker, and if found positive due procedure will be followed. Also, it is not about that individual, people who were in contact with him are also quarantined till their test results come out,” a senior corporation official said.

One more lab approved for Covid-19 testing

One more lab in Tamil Nadu has been approved for Covid-19 testing in the state. Government Hospital in Tindivanam was approved for testing on Tuesday. With this, the number of labs for Covid-19 testing in the state has gone up to 113 (58 government and 55 private labs).

TN Health Secretary’s family tests positive

Four members of the family of Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday. While Radhakrishnan tested negative, his wife, son, father-in-law and mother-in-law tested positive and are currently undergoing treatment at the Kings Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research at Guindy, Chennai.

Chennai conducts 5 lakh RT-PCR test

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) on Tuesday announced that 5 lakh RT-PCR tests have been carried out in Chennai till date to identify Covid-19 patients and provide treatment. According to the GCC, Chennai is the first metropolitan in the city to have carried out 5 lakh tests.

Chennai stands as the first metropolitan in the country to have conducted 5,00,000 RT-PCR tests for its residents to prevent the spread of COVID-19.#HereToServe#Covid19Chennai #GCC #Chennai#ChennaiCorporation pic.twitter.com/YaaSH6lEu9

— Greater Chennai Corporation (@chennaicorp) July 21, 2020

50 flights at Chennai International Airport

A total of 50 flights plied between Chennai and major cities on Tuesday.

There were 25 arrivals and 25 departures at the Chennai International Airport today. The first flight to Chennai was a flight from Hyderabad which touched down in the city at 7.30 am, while the last flight to Chennai will touch down at 11.30 pm from New Delhi.

@aaichnairport #UPDATE: #Arrival/ #Departure schedule for 21.07.2020. @aai_official @pibchennai @airindiain @AirAsiaIndian @flyspicejet @IndiGo6E @airvistara @FlyTruJet @terajasimhan @TOIChennai @the_hindu @dt_next @dinamalarweb @dinakaranonline @NewIndianXpress #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/YtVGlG9Fuz

— Chennai (MAA) Airport (@aaichnairport) July 20, 2020

The first flight from Chennai, which was bound for Port Blair, departed from the Chennai International Airport at 5.05 am, while the last flight for today departed at 8.10 pm for Trichy.

4,965 fresh Covid-19 cases and 75 deaths reported

As many as 4,965 fresh Covid-19 cases and 75 deaths were reported in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. The total number of cases has reached 1,80,643.

A total of 4,894 persons were discharged today taking the number of recoveries to 1,26,670. There are 51,344 active cases in the state.

Chennai recorded 1130 cases, taking its tally to 14,952. Apart from Chennai, Thiruvallur (366), Virudhunagar (360), Thoothukudi (269), Kancheepuram (262) and Chengalpet (256) reported the maximum cases today.

So far, 9028 children under the age of 12 have tested positive for Covid-19.

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