As the case of the Omicron variant increasing in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister MK Stalin is mulling to bring back the restrictions to the state to tackle the spread and he has been discussing with the health experts and authorities over imposing night curfews in the state. With 34 cases of the Omicron variant so far, Tamil Nadu accounts for 10% of cases in India's total tally. 

MK Stalin has on Friday - December 24 convened a high-level meeting to review the situation and the Omicron spread in the state ahead of the festival seasons. The meeting had the presence of top officials including Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian, Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu, and Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan. It has drawn huge attention as it was convened a day after the Prime Minister's directives to the officials to upkeep the measures and health infrastructure to fight the pandemic. 

MK Stalin's meeting has held discussions over accelerating the Covid-19 vaccination drive, enhancing the precautionary measures, and installing adequate medical infrastructure to battle the variant. As several states have now imposed night curfews, the Chief Minister had asked the authorities whether such curfew can be imposed in Tamil Nadu. According to reports, it has been expected that the state government would impose a night curfew in Chennai and other districts where the Omicron variant was detected. 

As the government has already banned festival celebrations and closed the beaches for the public, it will most likely issue another round of ban on the services and events that would gather large crowds. Tamil Nadu has so far reported 34 cases of Omicron variant cases as of Thursday and 33 cases were reported on Wednesday alone and most of the cases were reported in Chennai and have returned from foreign countries. 

On Thursday, Prime Minister Modi had chaired a high-level meeting to review the situation of the Omicron spread in the country. The meeting was warranted in light of the upcoming festival seasons where the government has planned to impose restrictions for large-scale gatherings and celebrations. The Prime Minister had taken stock of the situation and asserted that the fight against the pandemic is not over. He stressed the need to be vigilant and cautious in the fight against the variant. 

During the meeting, Modi had issued big orders to the officials, directing them to send teams to the states with low Covid-19 vaccination rates, with more cases, and insufficient health infrastructure. He instructed that the teams should assist such states in improving their vaccination rate and health infrastructure. He also highlighted that the Covid-19 protocols and guidelines must be strictly followed across the country. According to Union Health Ministry, India has reported 236 cases of the Omicron variant so far as of Thursday of which 104 people have been recovered. The ministry has said that the variant was detected across 16 states and Union territories.