Tamil Nadu will more likely invite a complete lockdown in the state to combat the life-threatening second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic as the medical experts have suggested Chief Minister MK Stalin to impose the complete lockdown without any relaxations in the state at least for another two weeks. 

The current episode of the lockdown comes to an end on May 24 and to discuss the extension of the lockdown, the Chief Minister has on Saturday convened a high-level meeting at the Chief Secretariat with the representatives of all the parties and the medical experts. The meeting was unfolded amid strong expectations on the roadmap of the state after May 24. During the discussion, most of the stakeholders had pressed the government to impose the complete lockdown in the state. 

The meeting was attended by the ministers, Chief Secretary Irai Anbu, Health Secretary Radhakrishnan, Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi, and higher officials. Most of the representatives from the political parties had suggested that the lockdown must be extended in the state and the government has to arrest various relaxations. 

Former Health Minister C Vijayabaskar, who was part of the committee on behalf of the ADMK, has suggested the Chief Minister to allow only the functioning of extremely essential services in the state. While the Indian Communist Party had demanded the government to initiate the containment measures to curb the spread of the pandemic in the rural areas, the BJP had also called for the complete lockdown. 

The health experts including ICMR's Prabhdeep Kaur had stressed the necessity of the complete lockdown. The experts have recommended the Tamil Nadu government to impose a complete lockdown in the state for at least two weeks. With political parties and experts echoing the prerequisite of the complete lockdown with no relaxations after May 24, Chief Minister MK Stalin has said that in the current situation, the complete lockdown becomes imperative to the state to battle the pandemic. 

He was addressing at the meeting during which he said that the government will strongly consider imposing the complete lockdown in the state. He said, "The lockdown was imposed to break the chain of transmission of the virus and the COVID-19 pandemic hasn't come under control in Tamil Nadu. Most of the people are not adhering to the government's guidelines and advisories and they are wandering across the state by thinking the lockdown as a holiday."

He further said, "They are defying the appeals from the police department and they express the fear for the virus through their words but their actions suggest that they are not scared of the virus.  The government is considering imposing a complete lockdown in the state. The health experts have recommended that the spread can be curbed only by imposing the complete lockdown without any relaxations". "The medical staff and students are bracing more crisis in the wake of the pandemic", the Chief Minister added. 

It has been reported that the government will carry forward the current restrictions after May 24 and in addition, it will reduce the functioning of the essential shops and pass strict orders to the district administrations to enforce the lockdown effectively. With a strong signal for the complete lockdown in the state, we can expect fresh orders and announcements from the government in the evening hours of Saturday. It must be noted that Health Secretary Radhakrishnan has said that Tamil Nadu will witness a peak of COVID-19 at the end of May.