After a five-month plus hiatus, the Chennai Metro Rail services and long distance buses linking various districts in Tamil Nadu recommenced operations on Monday.

Similarly, trains within the state also resumed services after a break of about two months.

Also read |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/with-1802-new-coronavirus-cases-telangana-infections-surpass-140000-mark-325658">With 1,802 new coronavirus cases, Telangana infections surpass 140,000-mark</a>

Notably, passenger trains and long distance buses to Chennai city from other parts of Tamil Nadu and services from the state capital began on Monday after they were ceased in March owing to COVID-19.

When the first Metro train departed from the Airport to Washermenpet, at 7 am, Industries Minister M C Sampath was among those who boarded the train and he travelled up to Nandanam station.

Train stoppage time at stations has been increased from 20 seconds to 50 seconds to facilitate passengers to de-board and board by maintaining social distancing and also to ensure fresh air circulation.

Stickers were stuck and markings have been made both in trains and platforms so that passengers could sit on alternate seats to ensure social distancing.

The Metrorail, which has began operations in the Blueline between Airport and Washermanpet via Anna Salai, services in the Greenline from St Thomas Mount to MGR Central Metro would start from September 9.

The authorities had already announced that services will be open till 8 pm and there will be no inter-corridor movement between Central Metro and Airport stations requesting passengers to plan their journeys accordingly.

Long distance buses run by government transport corporations connecting various destinations within Tamil Nadu began operations across the state.

An official told PTI that the passenger turnout was moderate and online reservations "should improve" in the days to come.

Barring Chennai and nearby three districts, inter- zonal (each zone comprises a number of nearby districts) bus transport, that commenced on June 1, was suspended on June 26. Later, as part of relaxations, the government had allowed buses within districts from September 1 and from now on, bus services have been resumed in a full fledged manner.

Also, trains within Tamil Nadu including the daily Chennai-Coimbatore Intercity, Chennai Egmore Tiruchchirappalli, Chennai Egmore and Coimbatore- Mayiladuthurai-Coimbatore Janshatabdi Special (except Tuesdays) resumed services.

The General Manager, Southern Railway on his twitter handle said: "573 passengers were on board Special Train No. 02636 Madurai - Chennai Egmore special train, the first fully reserved train to leave Madurai as part of #Unlock4 - All the laid down safety protocols were duly adhered - RPF and frontline staff were deployed to guide passengers."

Contactless ticket checking was done at the platform and temperature of passengers was monitored through thermal cameras and trains and platforms were sanitised using disinfectants.

The Southern Railway, following a request of the state government had on June 27 announced cancellation of special trains (including Tiruchirappalli-Chengelpet-Tiruchirappalli Superfast Intercity Express, and Coimbatore-Mayiladuthurai- Coimbatore Janshatabdi) within Tamil Nadu.

The government had requested cancellation of trains in view of an increase in COVID cases. However, such trains did not connect Chennai city to other destinations in Tamil Nadu and vice-versa though special trains that linked Chennai to Delhi were operated. 
&nbsp;

After a five-month plus hiatus, the Chennai Metro Rail services and long distance buses linking various districts in Tamil Nadu recommenced operations on Monday.

After a five-month plus hiatus, the Chennai Metro Rail services and long distance buses linking various districts in Tamil Nadu recommenced operations on Monday. Similarly, trains within the state also resumed services after a break of about two months. Also read | With 1,802 new coronavirus cases, Telangana infections surpass 140,000-mark Notably, passenger trains and long distance buses to Chennai city from other parts of Tamil Nadu and services from the state capital began on Monday after they were ceased in March owing to COVID-19. When the first Metro train departed from the Airport to Washermenpet, at 7 am, Industries Minister M C Sampath was among those who boarded the train and he travelled up to Nandanam station. Train stoppage time at stations has been increased from 20 seconds to 50 seconds to facilitate passengers to de-board and board by maintaining social distancing and also to ensure fresh air circulation. Stickers were stuck and markings have been made both in trains and platforms so that passengers could sit on alternate seats to ensure social distancing. The Metrorail, which has began operations in the Blueline between Airport and Washermanpet via Anna Salai, services in the Greenline from St Thomas Mount to MGR Central Metro would start from September 9. The authorities had already announced that services will be open till 8 pm and there will be no inter-corridor movement between Central Metro and Airport stations requesting passengers to plan their journeys accordingly. Long distance buses run by government transport corporations connecting various destinations within Tamil Nadu began operations across the state. An official told PTI that the passenger turnout was moderate and online reservations "should improve" in the days to come. Barring Chennai and nearby three districts, inter- zonal (each zone comprises a number of nearby districts) bus transport, that commenced on June 1, was suspended on June 26. Later, as part of relaxations, the government had allowed buses within districts from September 1 and from now on, bus services have been resumed in a full fledged manner. Also, trains within Tamil Nadu including the daily Chennai-Coimbatore Intercity, Chennai Egmore Tiruchchirappalli, Chennai Egmore and Coimbatore- Mayiladuthurai-Coimbatore Janshatabdi Special (except Tuesdays) resumed services. The General Manager, Southern Railway on his twitter handle said: "573 passengers were on board Special Train No. 02636 Madurai - Chennai Egmore special train, the first fully reserved train to leave Madurai as part of #Unlock4 - All the laid down safety protocols were duly adhered - RPF and frontline staff were deployed to guide passengers." Contactless ticket checking was done at the platform and temperature of passengers was monitored through thermal cameras and trains and platforms were sanitised using disinfectants. The Southern Railway, following a request of the state government had on June 27 announced cancellation of special trains (including Tiruchirappalli-Chengelpet-Tiruchirappalli Superfast Intercity Express, and Coimbatore-Mayiladuthurai- Coimbatore Janshatabdi) within Tamil Nadu. The government had requested cancellation of trains in view of an increase in COVID cases. However, such trains did not connect Chennai city to other destinations in Tamil Nadu and vice-versa though special trains that linked Chennai to Delhi were operated.

Metro Rail, long distance trains; bus services resume in TN

The ban of flights to Kolkata from high COVID-19 prevalence cities, namely Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai and Ahmedabad will continue till 31st August, said the Bengal government.

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The suspension of flights to Kolkata from high COVID-19 prevalence cities (viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai &amp; Ahmedabad) will continue till 31st August: West Bengal Government <a href="https://t.co/wWnTc0xQdd">pic.twitter.com/wWnTc0xQdd</a>
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On Monday, West Bengal witnessed the highest single-day discharge of 3,208 COVID-19 patients taking the number of recovered people to 70,328, while 2,905 new coronavirus infections were registered, state health department said.

The department in a bulletin also said that 41 patients succumbed to the disease raising the death toll to 2,100.

The state's caseload has gone up to 98,459 while the active cases stood at 26,031, the bulletin said.

At the global front, the coronavirus pandemic chalked up another horrific milestone Monday as the world surpassed 20 million recorded cases of infection from the tiny killer that has upended life just about everywhere.

The number as of 2215 GMT was 20,014,574 cases, with 734,664 deaths recorded, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally of official sources.

(With inputs from agencies)

The ban of flights to Kolkata from high COVID-19 prevalence cities, namely Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai and Ahmedabad will continue till 31st August, said the Bengal government.

The ban of flights to Kolkata from high COVID-19 prevalence cities, namely Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai and Ahmedabad will continue till 31st August, said the Bengal government. The suspension of flights to Kolkata from high COVID-19 prevalence cities (viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai & Ahmedabad) will continue till 31st August: West Bengal Government pic.twitter.com/wWnTc0xQdd — ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2020 × On Monday, West Bengal witnessed the highest single-day discharge of 3,208 COVID-19 patients taking the number of recovered people to 70,328, while 2,905 new coronavirus infections were registered, state health department said. The department in a bulletin also said that 41 patients succumbed to the disease raising the death toll to 2,100. The state's caseload has gone up to 98,459 while the active cases stood at 26,031, the bulletin said. At the global front, the coronavirus pandemic chalked up another horrific milestone Monday as the world surpassed 20 million recorded cases of infection from the tiny killer that has upended life just about everywhere. The number as of 2215 GMT was 20,014,574 cases, with 734,664 deaths recorded, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally of official sources. (With inputs from agencies)

Ban on flights to Kolkata from 6 corona 'hotspots' extended till August 31

Tamil Nadu on Monday crossed three lakh COVID-19 cases while the death toll crossed the 5,000 mark with the addition of 114 fatalities.

With 5,914 new cases, the infection tally touched 3,02,815 and the 100 plus deaths for the eighth consecutive day took the toll to 5,041, a government COVID bulletin said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/tamil-nadu-indian-coast-guard-tows-adrift-boat-to-harbor-rescues-14-fishermen-318842">Tamil Nadu: Indian Coast Guard tows adrift boat to harbor, rescues 14 fishermen</a>

The state took just 16 days to reach the three lakh mark compared to the 22 days it had taken for the two lakh milestone on July 25. The one lakh tally was recorded on July 3.

The 6,037 recoveries on Monday eclipsed the fresh infections and cumulatively 2,44,675 people have got cured so far and only 53,099 were the active cases.

A four month-old girl child, a 14 year-old boy, four women, aged 21, 25, 27 and 32, and two men in their 30s were among those who succumbed to the virus on Monday.

In total, 105 of the dead had comorbidities.

In the state's tally of total cases, Chennai accounted for 1,10,121 while adjoining districts of Chengelpet 18,332, Kancheepuram 12,131 and Tiruvallur 17,340 cases.

Other northern districts, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Ranipet, Villupuram, Kallakurichi and Tirupattur together tallied 33,558 cases.

The northern districts, including Chennai, account for 63.23 per cent of the total positive cases in the state.

Madurai's share was 12,104, Virudhunagar 10,155, Tuticorin 9,357 and Coimbatore 6,961.

Of the new cases on Monday, Chennai recorded 976 while the combined total of Chengelpet (483), Kancheepuram (310) and Tiruvallur (399) stood at 1,192.

Southern district of Theni which has been witnessing a rise in cases added 357 more while Madurai reported 100, marking a dip when compared with the trend of high numbers witnessed by the temple city recently.

Barring August 2 and 8, the recoveries have outnumbered the fresh cases this month till date.

As many as 67,153 samples were tested and in total, 32,92,958 specimens have been examined and all tests were RT- PCR based as Tamil Nadu does not use the Rapid Antigen Diagnostic Test (RADT).&nbsp;

Tamil Nadu on Monday crossed three lakh COVID-19 cases while the death toll crossed the 5,000 mark with the addition of 114 fatalities. With 5,914 new cases, the infection tally touched 3,02,815 and the 100 plus deaths for the eighth consecutive day took the toll to 5,041, a government COVID bulletin said.

Tamil Nadu on Monday crossed three lakh COVID-19 cases while the death toll crossed the 5,000 mark with the addition of 114 fatalities. With 5,914 new cases, the infection tally touched 3,02,815 and the 100 plus deaths for the eighth consecutive day took the toll to 5,041, a government COVID bulletin said. Also read | Tamil Nadu: Indian Coast Guard tows adrift boat to harbor, rescues 14 fishermen The state took just 16 days to reach the three lakh mark compared to the 22 days it had taken for the two lakh milestone on July 25. The one lakh tally was recorded on July 3. The 6,037 recoveries on Monday eclipsed the fresh infections and cumulatively 2,44,675 people have got cured so far and only 53,099 were the active cases. A four month-old girl child, a 14 year-old boy, four women, aged 21, 25, 27 and 32, and two men in their 30s were among those who succumbed to the virus on Monday. In total, 105 of the dead had comorbidities. In the state's tally of total cases, Chennai accounted for 1,10,121 while adjoining districts of Chengelpet 18,332, Kancheepuram 12,131 and Tiruvallur 17,340 cases. Other northern districts, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Ranipet, Villupuram, Kallakurichi and Tirupattur together tallied 33,558 cases. The northern districts, including Chennai, account for 63.23 per cent of the total positive cases in the state. Madurai's share was 12,104, Virudhunagar 10,155, Tuticorin 9,357 and Coimbatore 6,961. Of the new cases on Monday, Chennai recorded 976 while the combined total of Chengelpet (483), Kancheepuram (310) and Tiruvallur (399) stood at 1,192. Southern district of Theni which has been witnessing a rise in cases added 357 more while Madurai reported 100, marking a dip when compared with the trend of high numbers witnessed by the temple city recently. Barring August 2 and 8, the recoveries have outnumbered the fresh cases this month till date. As many as 67,153 samples were tested and in total, 32,92,958 specimens have been examined and all tests were RT- PCR based as Tamil Nadu does not use the Rapid Antigen Diagnostic Test (RADT).

Coronavirus: Tamil Nadu case count breaches 300,000-mark, toll surges past 5,000

On Monday, Tamil Nadu yet again witnessed a record number of coronavirus cases, 1,562 to take the overall count to 33,229. For several days, the TN is the worst-hit state in the country after Maharashtra.&nbsp;

However, compared to the number of cases it has reported, the state has seen very few deaths, 286, which means the fatality rate is less than one per cent when nationwide rate stands at about 2.8 per cent.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/amid-unlock-10-india-reports-highest-single-day-covid-19-cases-death-toll-over-7000-304142">Amid Unlock 1.0, India reports highest single-day COVID-19 cases; death toll over 7,000</a>

For understanding what the situation is like WION talked to top medical officials in Tamil Nadu, who are leading the fight against COVID-19.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

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Dr P. Vasanthamani, Dean of Government Kilpauk Medical College in Chennai, one of the earliest coronavirus facilities in the state, told us that the main reason behind a lot of cases in the state is because it tests more. She also said that Chennai is "thickly populated, crowded" and have slums because of which a majority of cases in the state are from Chennai. &nbsp;

Dr Raju, deputy director of a coronavirus testing lab in Chennai, backs this point and adds: "The reason is...that Tamil Nadu govt is scrupulously following the guidelines issued by the govt of India, ICMR".&nbsp;

Raju also said that they knew very early that there would be a huge demand for testing, so they started making preparations for it and the officials dedicatedly ensured that testing capacity in the state improves.

Recent reports have claimed that because of a high number of cases in the state, hospitals are struggling to admit patients as they are running out of beds, ventilators, and other treatment-related equipment.&nbsp;

Vasanthamani denies these reports and said, "there is no shortage of beds".&nbsp;

She explained that all city medical college hospitals are admitting only severe and very severe cases.&nbsp;

Vasanthamani said that there are four levels for managing coronavirus patients, adding that mild and asymptomatic and mild cases are admitted in COVID Care Centres and mild and symptomatic patients are given treatment in screening centers.&nbsp;

"In Chennai itself, 20,000-30,000 beds are ready for admission," the dean said.&nbsp;

Tamil Nadu has also been praised for controlling the number of fatalities despite being the state having second-most number of cases.&nbsp;

Raju has an answer for this and he explains that their strategy is to focus on high-risk patients, who require hospitalistion.&nbsp;

Vasanthamani said that for the treatment of moderate and severe patients, they recently started an early protocol, called Low-Molecular-Weight Herapin, under which many patients got recovered.&nbsp;

"So if you put 100 patients under this protocol, almost 95 patients recover within a day or five days", adding that this is why the death rate is less.&nbsp;

On Monday, Tamil Nadu yet again witnessed a record number of coronavirus cases, 1,562 to take the overall count to 33,229. For several days, the TN is the worst-hit state in the country after Maharashtra.

On Monday, Tamil Nadu yet again witnessed a record number of coronavirus cases, 1,562 to take the overall count to 33,229. For several days, the TN is the worst-hit state in the country after Maharashtra. However, compared to the number of cases it has reported, the state has seen very few deaths, 286, which means the fatality rate is less than one per cent when nationwide rate stands at about 2.8 per cent. Also read | Amid Unlock 1.0, India reports highest single-day COVID-19 cases; death toll over 7,000 For understanding what the situation is like WION talked to top medical officials in Tamil Nadu, who are leading the fight against COVID-19. Watch | Dr P. Vasanthamani, Dean of Government Kilpauk Medical College in Chennai, one of the earliest coronavirus facilities in the state, told us that the main reason behind a lot of cases in the state is because it tests more. She also said that Chennai is "thickly populated, crowded" and have slums because of which a majority of cases in the state are from Chennai. Dr Raju, deputy director of a coronavirus testing lab in Chennai, backs this point and adds: "The reason is...that Tamil Nadu govt is scrupulously following the guidelines issued by the govt of India, ICMR". Raju also said that they knew very early that there would be a huge demand for testing, so they started making preparations for it and the officials dedicatedly ensured that testing capacity in the state improves. Recent reports have claimed that because of a high number of cases in the state, hospitals are struggling to admit patients as they are running out of beds, ventilators, and other treatment-related equipment. Vasanthamani denies these reports and said, "there is no shortage of beds". She explained that all city medical college hospitals are admitting only severe and very severe cases. Vasanthamani said that there are four levels for managing coronavirus patients, adding that mild and asymptomatic and mild cases are admitted in COVID Care Centres and mild and symptomatic patients are given treatment in screening centers. "In Chennai itself, 20,000-30,000 beds are ready for admission," the dean said. Tamil Nadu has also been praised for controlling the number of fatalities despite being the state having second-most number of cases. Raju has an answer for this and he explains that their strategy is to focus on high-risk patients, who require hospitalistion. Vasanthamani said that for the treatment of moderate and severe patients, they recently started an early protocol, called Low-Molecular-Weight Herapin, under which many patients got recovered. "So if you put 100 patients under this protocol, almost 95 patients recover within a day or five days", adding that this is why the death rate is less.

More infections, lower fatality rate: Medical officials explain coronavirus situation in Tamil Nadu