1. Tamil Nadu Sees COVID-19 Cases Rise by 669, With 509 in Chennai
Tamil Nadu reported 669 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, 10 May, of which the bulk of these – 509 – came from Chennai yet again, reported The Hindu. The death toll stands at 47 now, with three more deaths confirmed.
All three deaths on Sunday were of men with co-morbidities. One of them, a 74-year-old from Agaram in Selaiyur with cardiac problems, breathed his last six hours after being admitted to hospital, his tests for the coronavirus came back positive after this.
The other two patients, aged 59 and 55 years old, both suffered from type 2 diabetes.
India has seen 3,277 cases in the last 24 hours, according to the newspaper.
2. Bus Carrying People to Kerala Collides on TN Highway, 25 Injured
A private bus collided with a water tanker at Karur-Salem national highway in Tamil Nadu on Sunday, 10 May, leaving 25 people injured.
The bus was carrying stranded citizens, who had been stuck in Bengaluru since the start of the lockdown, to Kerala. The people on board included IT employees and students hailing from Kottayam in Kerala.
At the highway crossing, near Ram Nagar on the Karur-Salem highway, the bus collided with a crossing water tanker.
Read more about this incident here on The Quint.
3. Standalone Shops in TN to Reopen
Chief Minister E Panaliswami’s government has put out a list of shops that can reopen from 11 May, as the state takes steps to relax some of the restrictions imposed during the coronavirus lockdown.
Standalone shops can open once again from today – not including salons, beauty parlours, and spas – provided they take certain key steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These include regular disinfection, maintaining physical distancing between staff and customers, providing hand sanitizer and not operating air conditioners, according to The Hindu.
4. Koyambedu Vegetable Market Emerges as Largest TN Cluster, More Than Tablighi Jamaat
As Chennai’s coronavirus numbers surged to more than half the total COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu (3,839 out of 7,204), the Koyambedu wholesale market complex in the city has now become the single largest cluster responsible for cases in the state.
The ‘Koyambedu vegetable market cluster’ is linked to 2,005 coronavirus cases, The Indian Express reported on 10 May, with 875 primary contacts who had infected 1,130 close contacts, as per state health department data.
In comparison, the Tablighi Jamaat cluster in the state, which had been the source of major headlines and regular updates from the state’s health secretary Beela Rajesh, stood at 1,350, with 631 primary contacts infecting 719 close contacts. The other key sources of infections are those who have returned from foreign countries and other states, with 715 such persons infecting 2,464.
5. ‘No Muslim Staff’: Chennai Bakery Owner Arrested Over Offensive Ad
Chennai Police on Friday, 8 May, arrested a bakery owner for insulting and hurting the feelings of a religious community in his advertisement, according to The News Minute. R1 Mambalam station Inspector S Balamurali arrested Prasanth (27), the owner of Jain Bakeries and Confectioneries, on Friday, when the former chanced upon an advertisement on WhatsApp that could incite communal disharmony.
In addition to listing out the confectionaries, the advertisement also had a declaration in bold: “Made by Jains on orders, no Muslim staffs (sic)”. The advertisement is not only offensive to the Muslim community but stigmatises the religious group.
When the advertisement, bearing the bakery's contact details, was circulated on WhatsApp groups by the owner, it became viral on social media and eventually caught the attention of Inspector Balamurali. Following this, he decided to take appropriate action.
Read more about the case here on The Quint.
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