TN for staggered lockdown exit after May 3

Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

28.04.2020

On a day when some of his counterparts requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend the national lockdown, Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami remained noncommittal. There was no mention of extension or otherwise in the letter he sent to Modi soon after the conference. He confined himself to seeking funds and PCR kits for more aggressive testing in his state. On Monday, Tamil Nadu recorded 52 fresh cases, taking its Covid-19 tally to 1,937.

In the last video conference on April 11, the CM had sought two weeks’ extension of the lockdown, a view expressed by many other states. On Monday, he chaired a meeting with an inter-ministerial central team after the Covid situation in Chennai was termed “serious”. TN officials apprised the team of the anti-Covid measures.

The state government is more focused on post-lockdown measures rather than whether it should end or extend. “The state won’t lift lockdown completely even if the Centre did after May 3. If they lift it, we will decide if it will be partial or staggered,” said a senior official.

Policy makers say the purpose of the lockdown is to help prepare the population for social distancing and allow government agencies enough time to prepare for the exit. More stringent measures will have to be implemented in the next phase in terms of surveillance, contact tracing and quarantine. New social norms such as social distancing should be in place for six months, they say.

With more patients coming out of hospitals, the state is weighing the option of a staggered exit post May 3. Representatives of industrial bodies holding talks with government are for moving on to the next stage. “Even if the lockdown ends, it does not mean the fight against Covid is over. People have to live a near-normal life. How long can you imprison them at home?” asked a member of the government’s expert committee, seeking anonymity. “So, normal activities have to be pursued step by step to get the economy to move forward,” said the member. For certain activities, like malls, multiplexes and large public events, where the possibility of spread is high, the return to normalcy would be delayed.

IN TALKS: Chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami during the video conference with PM Narendra Modi