Clusters from family, social events causing a rise in COVID-19 cases: Tamil Nadu Health Secretary
The Hindu
Poor adherence to norms also cited for rise in numbers.
Clusters arising from family and social functions, and a lack of adherence to the mask mandate and physical distancing norms at crowded places are among the reasons for the increase in the number of fresh COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu. In the last few days, the State has been registering a marginal increase in the number of cases. As the fluctuations in the daily count continued in some districts, the figure crossed 1,600 on Friday and Saturday. “This was mainly due to functions-based clusters and non-follow-up of social vaccine, namely wearing of masks and physical distancing at crowded places. Contact-tracing also contributes to numbers, but it is useful in preventing an exponential rise and controlling it as a localised cluster,” Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan said. This was the case in Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Thanjavur and the delta districts, the outskirts of Chennai, and Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur districts.
In , the grape capital of India and host of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela every 12 years, environmental concerns over a plan to cut 1,800 trees for the proposed Sadhugram project in the historic Tapovan area have sharpened political fault lines ahead of local body elections. The issue has pitted both Sena factions against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra. While Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief, and Uddhav Thackeray, chief of the Shiv Sena (UBT), remain political rivals, their parties have found rare common ground in Tapovan, where authorities propose clearing trees across 34 acres to build Sadhugram and a MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) hub, as part of a ₹300-crore infrastructure push linked to the pilgrimage.












