Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary K Shanmugam has started meeting district collectors after the containment zones in the state crossed the 1,000 mark and is at present at 1,089 as on July 3, with 158 from Chennai city alone. The meeting was held to discuss the methods of aggressive testing in all these zones including the strengthening of the health care facilities. 

It is to be noted that Tamil Nadu had reported 703 zones in the previous week with eight districts completing containment measures. Apart from Chennai, 184 zones have been recorded in Salem followed by 84 at Tiruvannamalai and Tirupattur, 75 in Madurai and 59 in Cuddalore. 12 fresh zones haves been added in Trichy while there has been a sharp decline from earlier this week in Nagapattinam's 39 zones.

According to reports, the Chief Secretary and collectors from 15 districts in the meeting discussed the need for increasing testing to cover asymptomatic cases as well while also talking about setting up fever clinics in areas that have been deemed to be vulnerable with high COVID-19 cases. Instructions were given to the administrators to implement the existing healthcare infrastructure to their maximum and in an effective manner. They have been told to send those with severe coronavirus symptoms to the critical care units while the COVID care centres should be used for those showing mild symptoms. 

It is said a few collectors requested for the health infrastructure to be augmented and some others wanted vacancies to be filled up with funds to tackle the coronavirus as well discussed. Instructions have been given by the Chief Secretary to fill up the vacancies on a temporary basis with orders issued for a fund release to districts in immediate need. A meeting will be held on Tuesday by K Shanmugam with officials from the Greater Chennai Corporation and with those from the remaining districts on Wednesday.

Tamil Nadu recorded 3,827 new cases on Monday with the state’s total going up to 1,14,978 coronavirus cases. There were 61 new deaths linked to the disease with the toll rising to 1,571, as per the state health department.