Tamil Nadu hints support to Centre to extend lockdown; total positive coronavirus COVID-19 cases at 969

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Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami has favoured extension of lockdown to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by two weeks, based on expert committee recommendation, Chief Secretary, K Shanmugam said on Saturday (April 11). He added official said Palaniswami conveyed this to Modi in a video conference early today.

"Tamil Nadu will take a decision on lockdown extension based on Centre's move on the matter depending on what PM Narendra Modi advises in coming  days," he said. "We understood from the meet with PM that if we don't extend lockdown, the progress made so far would go waste," the top state official said.

The exisisting lockdown which has been imposed by the Centre will end at 6:00 am on April 15.  

Meanwhile, the state today reported one more death due to coronavirus, taking the total death toll from the virus to 10. Shanmugam said that at least 58 fresh coronavirus cases were reported in the state today, with the total number of positive cases reaching 969. The latest death was reported from Erode district, he told a press conference in Chennai.

Out of 969 cases, at least 881 are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event that took place in Delhi's Nizamuddin in March. According to the data, Chennai alone has recorded as many as 182 cases so far.