State witnessing reduction in COVID-19 cases, says Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswami

Announcing that Tamil Nadu had recorded 25 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said that the state was seeing a reduction in cases and expressed hope that the state could see nil positive cases over the next few days. '

The chief minister announced that the state had recorded 25 new cases, taking the total recorded cases to 1,267, with a total of 180 patients who have recovered and been discharged from the hospitals. The coronavirus death toll in the state stands at 15. Tamil Nadu is the state with the third highest number of COVID-19 cases in India.

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In his press conference, following a meeting with the district administrators the chief minister expressed hope in the falling numbers, as the state has been witnessing fewer cases over the last three days. The first two weeks of April saw a rapid increase in cases, however, the last three days have only seen 31,38 and 25 cases respectively.

While admitting that the coronavirus situation was a huge challenge, Palaniswami claimed that the number of cases were reducing due to the efforts of the state government which has undertaken measures such as setting up containment zones, among others.

Thirteenfrontline workers including government and private doctors, healthcare and sanitary workers have been infected in the state. Currently, Tamil Nadu has 27 testing centers(including government and private facilities), which the state government claims is the highest in the country. The testing capacity of all these centers put together is 5590 samples per day.

On the delay in receiving the consignment of rapid test kits from China, the chief minister said that no other state in India had received them, adding that the government has been making efforts to get them.

Responding to the criticism against his government from the DMK-led opposition, Palaniswami said that the opposition leader was unable to accept that the government has been efficiently battling COVID-19.

“In other states there is political unity during such unprecedented adversity, but here in Tamil Nadu we have parties that do not cooperate with the government”, he added.

When questioned about relief being given by the state to the bereaved families who have lost their kin to the pandemic, the CM claimed that this was a rich person’s disease which had been imported to Tamil Nadu by those who travelled to abroad.

“This is a rich person’s disease. Isn’t this a disease brought from foreign countries and other states? Poor people don’t have it. You can ask the poor people. One should get scared of the rich person only, because they go abroad and import the disease here. They have travelled to other states and now people here have got it. This is why Tamil Nadu has COVID-19 cases. Tamil Nadu did not create this pandemic,” Palaniswami said.