As a preventive measure against the spread of COVID-19, the Chennai City police have decided to shorten the waiting time for commuters at major signals. (Express photo)
Tamil Nadu Coronavirus News July 8, 9 Highlights: The Tamil Nadu government Wednesday issued a notification rescinding all activities of Friends of Police (FoP) across the state. The government order was issued after an adverse report was received from the Director-General of Police, Chennai.
The probe by the Tamil Nadu’s Crime Branch-CID into the deaths of shopkeeper P Jeyaraj and his son J Bennix in Sathankulam police station on the night of June 19 has zeroed in on the alleged role of six FoP members who had been “helping the Inspector and Sub-Inspectors in routine affairs”.
Speaking to Indianexpress.com, Tirunelveli DCP Arjun Sarvanan said senior police officers in the state had asked the police stations to recall the identity cards issued to the FoP volunteers and instructed them not to engage them in any of the police-related activities.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu recorded 3,756 positive cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, bringing the state tally to 1,22,350. Among these, Chennai reported 1,261 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 72,500.
As of Wednesday, the number of active Covid-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is 46,480. Till date, 74,842 males, 47,486 females and 22 transgenders have tested positive for the virus in the state.
At least 40 staff members of the hospital have tested positive. (Source: vijayahospital.org)
Royapuram in Chennai continues to lead the city's tally, with over 9000 cases recorded in the zone.
Here are the top 10 zones:
The Siddha practice of medicine is drawing attention in Tamil Nadu after the state government authorised its use in Covid 19 treatment. There are two centres, both in Chennai, offering this therapy and the state government is now planning to expand it beyond the city. Speaking to indianexpress.com, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said Siddha is an add-on therapy and one of the many preventive methods. “Those who are not showing full-fledged infection, empirically opt for Siddha therapy. We are closely monitoring the Siddha centres in Chennai, those who need oxygen supply are immediately shifted to government hospitals. We are planning to set up Siddha centres across the state,” he said.
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The five-member Central team led by the Union Health and Family Welfare Additional Secretary Dr. Aarti Ahuja arrived in Chennai today to review the pandemic situation in the city. The committee visited various COVID-19 facility clinics in the city as part of the ground inspection. They will be interacting with district collectors today. Health Minister C Vijayabaskar, state health secretary J Radhakrishnan and other officials were present during the central team’s visit.
As a preventive measure against the spread of COVID-19, the Chennai City police have decided to shorten the waiting time for commuters at major signals. As a trial run, the waiting time has been reduced to 60 seconds in 10 major signals in Chennai. The initiative is soon to be implemented in 400 signals across the city.
In news from Puducherry, Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi tested negative for coronavirus on Thursday, a day after an employee of Raj Nivas, the office of the Lt Governor, was found to be infected with the virus.
After the staff tested positive, Raj Nivas, was shut for a 48-hour period for sanitisation. Bedi and other staff underwent coronavirus tests after an employee of the Raj Nivas tested positive for the infection.
A release from Raj Nivas said the Health department has informed that the result of the Covid Test, which the Lt Governor had undergone on Wednesday has come out negative. It also said that the office of Lt Governor would adhere to the protocol of keeping all the staff, who were primary contacts, in home quarantine even though they had tested negative.
P Vijayaraghavan, who had been serving as the non-executive director of TVS Srichakra Ltd passed away on Wednesday following a cardiac arrest. Having been with the company for over 50 years, he played a key role in the growth of the rubber and tyre industry in India.
A total of 18 people succumbed to COVID-19 in Chennai over the last 24 hours.
Six deaths were recorded in Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, five in Government Super Specialty Hospital in Omandurar Estate, three in Government Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital and one in a private hospital at Thousand Lights.
Parts of Tamil Nadu have been receiving heavy rainfall since morning. In Erode, heavy rainfall for over two hours led to stagnation of water on main roads. Vellore, Madurai and Thirumangalam districts and surrounding areas received heavy rainfall after nearly a month of dry weather, bringing down the heat in the districts considerably.
Thiruvannamalai and Arani received heavy rainfall accompanied with strong winds.
Tamil Nadu recorded 3,756 positive cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, bringing the state tally to 1,22,350. Among these, Chennai reported 1,261 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 72,500.
Besides Chennai, 273 cases were reported in Chengalpattu, 133 in Kancheepuram, 300 in Thiruvallur, 12 in Ariyalur, 87 in Coimbatore, 71 in Cuddalore, 32 in Dharmapuri, 10 each in Dindigul, Erode, Nilgiris and Thirupathur, 13 in Kallakurichi, 115 in Kanyakumari, seven in Karur, 14 in Krishnagiri, 379 in Madurai, 19 in Nagapattinam, 12 in Namakkal, three in Perambalur, 31 in Pudukottai, 65 in Ramanathapuram, 16 in Ranipet, 68 in Salem, 34 in Sivagangai, 27 in Tenkasi, 15 in Thanjavur, 75 in Theni, 300 in Thiruvallur, 55 in Thiruvannamalai, 38 in Thiruvarur, 141 in Thoothukudi, six in Tirunelveli, 26 in Tiruppur, 21 in Trichy, 160 in Vellore, 104 in Villupuram and 70 in Virudhunagar.
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Welcome to the live blog from Chennai where we bring to you the latest updates on COVID-19, unlock phase 1 in Tamil Nadu and more in the state throughout the day. Follow the blog to stay up to date with the state in real time.
A total of 18 RPF personnel who had been posted in the Chennai division of the Southern Railway donated their plasma at the Railway Hospital in Perambur Wednesday, after recovering from COVID-19.
P Thangamani, Tamil Nadu Minister for Electricity, Prohibition and Excise has tested positive for COVID-19. With this, the number of legislators who have tested positive in the State has risen to 11.
Here is the full list:
AIADMK - Seven MLAs
DMK - Four MLAs
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has banned all activities of Friends of Police (FoP) in the state. In an order issued by EPS, a statement said that FoP had been suspended in view of the adverse report issued by the DGP, Chennai.
The ban comes against the backdrop of the custodial death of a father-son duo in Thoothukudi last month in which the role of FoP is being probed.
Speaking to indianexpress.com, Tirunelveli DCP Arjun Sarvanan said senior police officers in the state had asked the police stations to recall the identity cards issued to the FoP volunteers and instructed them not to engage them in any of the police-related activities.
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The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Chennai has forecast heavy in parts of Tamil Nadu over the next 24 hours.
Parts of Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Salem, Namakkal and Theni are expected to receive heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms Thursday.
A total of 56 flights will fly between Chennai and major cities today. There will be 28 arrivals and 28 departures at the Chennai International Airport.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami inaugurated a 750-bed facility at the King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Technology in Guindy exclusively for Covid-19 patients on Tuesday.
The facility has been set up at an estimated cost of Rs 120 crore. The center has 300 beds with a ventilator and 60 beds have been allocated to the Intensive Care Unit. It also has Wi-Fi, High flow Nasal Cannula facilities, virtual yoga classes, among others.
As many as 80 doctors and 60 nurses are deployed to take care of COVID-19 patients.
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With 3,616 new COVID-19 cases reported Tuesday, the total number of cases in the state has now surged to 1,18,594. In Chennai, a total of 1,203 cases were recorded. So far, the city has reported 71,230.
There has been a decline in the number of cases in districts like Chengalpet (87) and Kancheepuram (105), while Madurai (334), Virudhunagar (253), and Thiruvallur (217) reported the maximum number of cases today.
The death toll in the state reached 1,636 after 65 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. Among the deceased since Monday, 13 had no comorbidities. As many as 4,545 persons were discharged from hospitals while the number of active cases stood at 45,839.
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Good morning!
Welcome to the live blog from Chennai where we bring to you the latest updates on COVID-19, unlock phase 1 in Tamil Nadu and more in the state throughout the day. Follow the blog to stay up to date with the state in real time.