With new facility in Tiruvarur, T.N. now has three testing labs

Senior health official advises against non-essential visits to crowded spaces

14/03/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami chairing a meeting to review COVID-19 preparedness on Friday. B. Jothi Ramalingam

With the addition of the Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory at Tiruvarur, Tamil Nadu now has three testing facilities for SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19.

The King Institute of Preventive Medicine, Guindy, has tested a majority of samples till date. The facility at Government Medical College, Theni, is the second.

A senior health official said that four additional testing facilities were ready to be operationalised in the State. “In fact, we can increase our diagnostic facilities to 10,” he said.

The Public Health Department is involved in tracing people in the State who had come in contact with persons who tested positive for COVID-19 in neighbouring Kerala and Karnataka.

According to a bulletin issued by the Directorate of Public and Preventive Medicine, six persons are under hospital quarantine in the State, and 1,406 persons under home quarantine for 28 days.

Till now, 76 samples have tested negative for COVID-19 in the State. The sole patient who had tested positive last week, and his contact, have been moved to a step-down ward from the isolation ward at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. This, after results of two consecutive samples — that were taken 24 hours apart — tested negative. The health status of his contacts under home quarantine are stable.

K. Kolandaswamy, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, who has been urging the public to avoid mass gatherings, said it was advisable to avoid non-essential visits to places.

Social distancing

“Do your work over the phone or through video-conferencing. The State government has now declared leave for kindergarten classes in all districts, and up to primary classes in the border districts. If you are sick, avoid going out,” he said.

“Drop all tour plans. It is better to avoid visiting malls and theatres. We have asked malls and theatres to disinfect surfaces regularly. In fact, theatres have been told to increase the time gap between shows for the purpose of cleaning,” he said.