<p>With fears of the fourth wave of Covid-19 infections on the rise, the Tamil Nadu government on Friday asked the district administration to impose a fine of Rs 500 on those who are found without a face mask in public places and ensure strict compliance with Covid appropriate behaviour. </p>.<p>Though clarifying the current situation vis-à-vis Covid-19 infections in Tamil Nadu is “not alarming”, the government appealed to the people to take the necessary precautions in the light of a cluster being found in the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M). </p>.<p>With 18 more persons from IIT-M testing positive for Covid-19 on Friday, the number of persons affected within the campus has now risen to 30. Of the 30, 29 are students. Principal Secretary (Health) J Radhakrishnan visited the IIT-M along with officials from the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to review the situation inside the campus. </p>.<p>Health Minister Ma Subramanian said the government will hold a Special Mega Vaccination Drive on May 8 by organizing 1 lakh camps across the state to administer jabs for the unvaccinated. Over 40 lakh people are yet to get their first dose of vaccination, while 1.37 crore are due for their second dose. </p>.<p>Radhakrishnan, at a press briefing, clarified that the government never withdrew the notification that made the wearing masks compulsory. “We appeal to the people to wear a face mask. We have instructed authorities in districts to enforce mask compliance by imposing a fine of Rs 500. Fine will now be enforced strictly. The Director of Public Health has sent a letter (to all concerned) in this regard,” Radhakrishnan added. </p>.<p>The government’s move to bring back the fine of Rs 500 comes after it noticed that people have lowered their guard by bidding goodbye to face masks. “It is a known fact that people do not wear face masks. People should not be complacent. Wearing a mask and getting vaccinated is enough to keep one safe from the virus. The fine component is now back,” the Health Secretary said. </p>.<p>The government has asked district administrations to monitor the trajectory of cases and also the test positivity rate at district and sub-district levels. It has also asked collectors to follow up on six points such as the use of masks and follow-up of Covid appropriate behaviour, focus on vaccination, ensuring medical preparedness and monitoring hospital admissions, RT-PCR testing, tracing and treatment, and whole genomic sequencing. </p>
<p>With fears of the fourth wave of Covid-19 infections on the rise, the Tamil Nadu government on Friday asked the district administration to impose a fine of Rs 500 on those who are found without a face mask in public places and ensure strict compliance with Covid appropriate behaviour. </p>.<p>Though clarifying the current situation vis-à-vis Covid-19 infections in Tamil Nadu is “not alarming”, the government appealed to the people to take the necessary precautions in the light of a cluster being found in the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M). </p>.<p>With 18 more persons from IIT-M testing positive for Covid-19 on Friday, the number of persons affected within the campus has now risen to 30. Of the 30, 29 are students. Principal Secretary (Health) J Radhakrishnan visited the IIT-M along with officials from the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to review the situation inside the campus. </p>.<p>Health Minister Ma Subramanian said the government will hold a Special Mega Vaccination Drive on May 8 by organizing 1 lakh camps across the state to administer jabs for the unvaccinated. Over 40 lakh people are yet to get their first dose of vaccination, while 1.37 crore are due for their second dose. </p>.<p>Radhakrishnan, at a press briefing, clarified that the government never withdrew the notification that made the wearing masks compulsory. “We appeal to the people to wear a face mask. We have instructed authorities in districts to enforce mask compliance by imposing a fine of Rs 500. Fine will now be enforced strictly. The Director of Public Health has sent a letter (to all concerned) in this regard,” Radhakrishnan added. </p>.<p>The government’s move to bring back the fine of Rs 500 comes after it noticed that people have lowered their guard by bidding goodbye to face masks. “It is a known fact that people do not wear face masks. People should not be complacent. Wearing a mask and getting vaccinated is enough to keep one safe from the virus. The fine component is now back,” the Health Secretary said. </p>.<p>The government has asked district administrations to monitor the trajectory of cases and also the test positivity rate at district and sub-district levels. It has also asked collectors to follow up on six points such as the use of masks and follow-up of Covid appropriate behaviour, focus on vaccination, ensuring medical preparedness and monitoring hospital admissions, RT-PCR testing, tracing and treatment, and whole genomic sequencing. </p>
