NE NEWS SERVICE
PUDUCHERRY, JULY 15
Three elderly people, including a woman succumbed to COVID-19 in Puducherry, while 67 fresh cases were recorded on Wednesday, taking the aggregate in the Union Territory to 1,596.
A senior Medical Officer and Chief of Government Pharmacy, Sri Ramulu told reporters that 67 new cases were identified and admitted to the hospitals here and in Yanam at the end of testing of 687 samples during the last 24 hours.
Nodal Officer of the State COVID hospital, S Ramesh said the deaths of the three people, who had comorbidities shows that the elderly patients having other complications are very vulnerable to the infection.
The aged persons should therefore remain indoors as they would be easily infected by others displaying symptoms of the virus.
After transferring two patients to the Tamil Nadu account the total COVID-19 cases in Puducherry stood at 1,596 on Wednesday. A medical bulletin of the Department of Health and Family Welfare said the total active cases in the hospitals in the Union Territory were 686.
The number of patients recovered and were discharged so far were 889 and the fatalities were 21.
Sixty patients were discharged during the last 24 hours. The department of Health tested 27,229 samples and 25,264 of them were found to be negative for infection. Results of the remaining samples were awaited, the bulletin said.
Ease lockdown restrictions to promote tourism, Narayanasamy urges centre
On one side we were facing a hard situation in economy & Centre showing no response to approve our budget proposals submitted for the fiscal 2020-2021. Perhaps, Tourism would be a key for economic revival for Puducherry. Letter written to Centre to allow tourism in #Puducherry . pic.twitter.com/65F2MftOzG
— V.Narayanasamy (@VNarayanasami) July 15, 2020
Meanwhile, the Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Wednesday made out a strong case that the Centre should ease the COVID-19 lockdown curbs and allow resumption of tourism activities in the Union Territory to boost the revenue.
Addressing reporters here through video mode, the chief Minister said he would write a letter to the Ministry of Tourism seeking its nod to revive tourism related activities in Puducherry. “Foreigners and domestic tourists should be facilitated to visit Puducherry so that the revenue to the State Exchequer would go up and employment opportunities would also be revived,” he noted.
Narayanasamy said already a delegation of merchants had apprised him of their current difficulties and hardships with the business activities having suffered a setback. “While the lives of the people should be protected it is also equally important to ensure flow of revenue to the government.
Already we were facing a piquant situation with the Centre showing no response to approve of our budget proposals submitted for the fiscal 2020-2021,” he pointed out.
Observing that Tourism held the key for economic revival of Puducherry, the CM said already neighbouring Tamil Nadu had relaxed restrictions. “I would write to the Union Tourism Minister to give us green signal to go ahead with our programmes to revive tourism, attract foreign and domestic tourists and facilitate the revival of economic activities here,” he said.
On various measures to tackle COVID-19, Narayanasamy said the government would soon procure more equipment including RT-PCR equipment, masks, ventilators and medicines needed for the treatment of COVID-19 stricken patients admitted to the hospitals.
“We would soon increase the coverage of people by raising the tests from present 600 to 1000,” he added. The ICMR had recommended augmenting the number of screenings of patients. The Chief Minister said the territorial government was on its guard and would expand its testing facilities particularly in rural areas.
Facilities in rural health centres in places like Villianoor and Karikalambakkam here would be increased to rise to any exigency. He appealed to the people to adhere to the safety norms and cooperate with the government to bid farewell to the infection at the earliest. He lauded the “tireless and dedicated” work by the doctors, nurses and volunteers of the ASHA unit and also the role played by the Police and other departments in keeping Puducherry out of bounds for the pandemic.
Chief Minister pays tribute to Kamaraj
Tribute to #Perunthalaivar #kamarajar on his birth anniversary today. pic.twitter.com/iCXoRYYswY
— V.Narayanasamy (@VNarayanasami) July 15, 2020
Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy to paid tribute to former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader K Kamaraj on his 117th birth anniversary on Wednesday.
The Chief Minister paid homage to a Kamaraj’s statue here to mark the anniversary. PWD Minister A Namassivayam, Welfare Minister M Kandasamy, Revenue Minister M O H F Shah Jahan and members of different wings of the ruling Congress also paid homage. Earlier, Chief Minister and others paid tribute to a portrait of Kamaraj at the party office here.
