With 25 more people testing positive for COVID-19, the total number of persons infected in the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) has gone up to 55, said Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan.
The premier institute was declared a COVID-19 zone on Thursday, 21 April.
According to Radhakrishnan, tests are being conducted in 19 hostels in the IIT-M complex. The infection rate is higher in a hostel that has students from other states. Out of 1,420 persons, 55 have tested positive.
Radhakrishnan also said that the government will be increasing the number of COVID-19 tests from the current 18,000 to 25,000 per day.
According to the state government, on 23 April, 57 persons tested positive for the coronavirus in Tamil Nadu and the total number of active COVID-19 cases in the state stood at 286.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government has mandated wearing of masks, and added that violations of the mask rule will attract a Rs 500 fine. In an order issued on Friday, the Tamil Nadu Health Department has said that the decision was taken considering the rising COVID-19 cases in the country, especially in Delhi.
(Published in special arrangement with The News Minute.)
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