NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, MARCH 17
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has ruled out curtailing the ongoing Assembly session, saying all legislators were screened for COVID-19 before entering the House here on Tuesday.
மாண்புமிகு தமிழ்நாடு முதலமைச்சர் திரு.எடப்பாடி கே.பழனிசாமி அவர்கள் இன்று சட்டப்பேரவையில் தமிழ்நாடு அரசு மேற்கொண்டு வரும் கொரோனா வைரஸ் தடுப்பு நடவடிக்கைகள் குறித்து விளக்கம் அளித்தார். #TNAssembly #coronavirus #TNGovt pic.twitter.com/q978MGyMJS
— CMOTamilNadu (@CMOTamilnadu) March 17, 2020
He also announced constituting a task force, headed by state Chief Secretary K Shanmugam, to closely monitor the preventive measures taken against the spread of COVID-19. Detailing the initiatives taken up in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the Chief Minister said there was no need for panic and assured his government was working in full swing to implement the preventive measures.
So far, one person from the state has tested positive for the virus, but has been cured and is set to be discharged soon. “The government is taking whatever precautionery measures are required,” Palaniswami said, adding, reports suggested coronavirus is a ”dangerous disease.” “In fact there are reports this virus has spread to 136 countries. It is because of that there is a fear about the disease,” Palaniswami said. Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr C Vijayabaskar has been issuing detailed explanations on the initiatives taken up by the government in the Assembly, he pointed out.
“There is no need for panic. At the same time there is no necessity to postpone the assembly proceedings. All legislators are provided with adequate safety measures. We all enter the House only after being screened,” he said. He also expressed government support to legislators who would prefer a medical examination vis-a-vis coronavirus. The ongoing Assembly session is scheduled to go on till April 9.
18-member task force headed by Chief Secretary to monitor preventive measures
Further, Palaniswami said that in order to monitor the preventive measures initiated by the government, a Chief Secretary-headed task force has been constituted. The 18-member task force comprising officials of various departments would regularly meet under Shanmugam to ensure the government directives are promptly followed in controlling the spread of virus and also offer its guidance to the government, the Chief Minister said.
