COVID-19: At least 25 people of news channel test positive, TN
(Eds: Recasts, adds details, combines related stories) Chennai, Apr 21 () As many as 76 people tested positivefor coronavirus in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, including at least25 working for a Tamil television channel here and the tallyin the state stood at 1,596, authorities said.
One person, meanwhile, died today and the aggregatenumber of deaths due to COVID-19 climbed to 18.
However, the gender of the deceased was not knownimmediately.
DMK President M K Stalin expressed concern over manyjournalists contracting the contagion and appealed to thegovernment and others to cancel all press conferences till thelockdown ends and wanted the state to test all scribes forcoronavirus on a war footing.
Sending news to the media houses through e-mail andavoiding press conferences was a very important protectivemeasure, Stalin said in a statement.
PMK, an ally of the ruling AIADMK, voiced concern overjournalists testing positive and urged media organisations toprotect their staff and suggested that the government can doaway with press conferences on COVID-19.
Not less than 25 people, including journalists, havetested positive of the 90 plus samples taken for theconfirmatory RT-PCR test from those associated with the Tamilnews channel, a health official told .
On behalf of the channel, a video message was circulated,saying operations have been put on hold temporarily, addingthat work would resume soon.
The development comes days after two journalists,including one who worked with the same TV channel, testedpositive for the contatgion in the city.
To a question, the official said the test results ofthose associated with the television channel were beingcollated and those who tested positive from the media housewere being admitted to the Government Multi Super SpecialtyHospital at Government Estate.
A government bulletin said 178 people were dischargedtoday following recovery and active cases as on date is 940.
Three girls, discharged from the Stanley governmenthospital here, were gifted dolls while all others sent homefollowing recovery in State-run hospitals were given fruitsand accorded a warm send off by authorities.
"Even if we spend several lakhs of Rupees in a corporatehospital, we would not have got the best of treatment, whichwe got from the government hospital," said an 82-year-old manwho was discharged from the Stanley.
"The government doctors not only treated us forCoronavirus but also for various other ailments.
We got good food. Toilet and other amenities weregood," he added.
On Tuesday, 76 people tested positive in Tamil Nadutaking the total count to 1,596 cases, the bulletin said.
Totally, 55 people tested positive today in Chennai andChennai District has a tally of 358 of the total 1,596positive cases in Tamil Nadu.
Coimbatore and Tirupur have 134 and 109 positive casesrespectively.
As on date, 22,254 are in home quarantine and 145 ingovernment quarantine facilities in the State.
A release, meanwhile, said the Indian Medical Associationand the Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association thanked thegovernment for arresting 21 men involved in obstructing andattacking people during the burial of a neurosurgeon, aCOVID-19 victim here on Sunday late night. VGN COR APRRAVINDRANATH APRRAVINDRANATH