Tamil Nadu continues to remain the worst affected state in the southern part of the country with over 1,600 cases being reported. Already, 20 people have died in the state due to Covid-19.
Here are the top developments from the south of the Vindhyas:
1. Former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has lashed out at the Karnataka government and compared it to the government of “Tughlaq” for misusing the virus to create panic in the state. He particularly trained his guns on Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Prisons, Alok Mohan for shifting certain prisoners to Ramnagaram, which is his constituency.
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2. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan has called for a stricter implementation of the lockdown and said that illegal cross border movement from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu may have triggered the fresh emergence of new cases.
3. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy has announced a complete shutdown of Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai from 6 am on April 26 to 9 pm on April 29. During this period, essential services shall be permitted.
4. The Bengaluru Police have arrested individuals involved in the online sale of endangered animals and tobacco products. The Police said that in the latter case, two individuals taking advantage of the lockdown were selling cigarettes at an exorbitant rate.
5. Andhra Pradesh has reported 62 fresh cases and this has brought the total number of cases in the state to 955.
6. Following the Centre’s decision to freeze an increase in the payment of Dearness Allowance (DA), former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu has written to the incumbent Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy asking him not to cut any pension of the employees. The cut was due to COVID-19.
7. The Tamil Nadu government has issued an order relaxing conditions in the villages across the state to permit some construction activities.
8. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has expressed hope that measures taken by the state government will reduce the number of cases in the state and the curve may start to flatten.
9. Coimbatore District Administration’s decision to conduct door to door survey of house individuals is expected to be completed within a week.
10. The Kochi police said that it will continue to keep a controlled relaxation of the lockdown.