Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi founder Thol. Thirumavalavan on Friday wondered if Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami could be underestimating the dangers of Covid-19 spread in Tamil Nadu. Mr. Thirumavalavan charged that the Chief Minister is trying to confuse the people by his declaration that the State Government is doing a ‘great job’ and creating a wrong impression about the State’s response.
In a statement, Mr. Thirumavalavan said that lockdown alone is not enough to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and it should be complemented with rapid increase in testing among people.
“While Kerala has done it, Tamil Nadu has tested very less number of people. Tamil Nadu government has not said whether we have the required number of kits. Health Secretary said that there are 14,000 testing kits. Chief Secretary said that 24,000 RT-PCR kits and a day after, Health Secretary said that 1,35,000 kits were ordered in January itself and currently 60,000 kits are available. There is a lot of contradiction,” said Mr. Thirumavalavan.
He added only 5,000 samples can be tested across testing centres. “The State Government is not making it clear how many samples have been taken, how many are being tested and how many are lying without being tested. Rapid testing should be undertaken in ‘hotspots’ in Tamil Nadu and those who test positive should be tested again via RT-PCR test. I don’t think this method is being followed in Tamil Nadu,” said Mr. Thirumavalavan. He further added that the doctors, nurses and other sanitation workers do not have proper protective equipment and the number regarding the availability and demand should be made clear by the State Government.
