CHENNAI: Mask compliance in Tamil Nadu is less than 30 per cent and the district administrations must focus on increasing awareness among the public in this regard, said Chief Secretary K Shanmugam.
In a communication addressed to the district collectors and the Chennai Corporation Commissioner, the Chief Secretary said that testing must not be scaled down and the districts must focus on bringing down the mortality to zero.
“In this regard, Chennai, Coimbatore, Salem, Thiruvallur, Chengalpattu, Erode and Kancheepuram would require special and sustained efforts. Krishnagiri district and other districts with a positivity rate above 3 per cent should scale up the testing in a focused manner in the affected areas,” he said.
He also advised the district collectors to focus on post-Covid management by creating awareness among the public on the health complications that arise after recovery. “If necessary, pamphlets, leaflets, etc, can be used to create awareness among the public,” he said.
“In many public places, including markets, shopping malls, marriage halls, social, and religious gatherings, the Covid etiquette and Standard Operating Procedures are not being followed strictly,” he said, adding that it has been observed that in marriage halls and shopping malls, a large number of people gather without masks, creating an environment for super spread of Covid.
The chief secretary further emphasised that in case of violation of the SOP, individuals who are not wearing mask, the owner of marriage hall and the parties who organise the marriages should be penalised if needed to enforce strict discipline. “Similarly, in shopping malls, work places, factories and shops, the accountability should be fixed on the owners,” he added.