Covid has crippled the
economy and shattered people. The Tamil
Nadu government might extend the lockdown, which is in force in the state by
one more week, with Chief Minister M.K. Stalin likely to make an announcement
on this either later today or Friday
morning. Mr Stalin had conducted meeting
of health officials and top bureaucrats today and experts in public health, who were
present, recommended the government extend the lockdown by another week. As
many as 11 districts have higher number of cases and in several rural areas of
the state new clusters have formed giving a major headache to the state
government.
Today, Tamil Nadu recorded
16,813 fresh cases, bringing the state tally to 23,08,838. Among these, Chennai
reported 1,223 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 5,220,52. Two
lionesses of the Arinagar Anna Zoological Park in Tamil Nadu have tested
positive for COVID-19, while a lion was found to have contracted distemper
virus, the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) Bareilly said Thursday.
Elsewhere this is the Cricket stadium as thousands entered Edgbaston today to watch England play New Zeland in the Second test. The hosts are under pressure after debutant Ollie Robinson was suspended for his old racist and sexist tweets raked up a controversy which later became bigger after some other English players’ old tweets went viral. Meanwhile, the visitors are playing this crucial game without their regular skipper Kane Williamson because he is resting his injured elbow. NZ has made wholesome changes to the side – 6 in all – from the Team that played the 1st Test : Kane Williamson, BJ Watling, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Kyle Jamieson and Tim Southee are out, replaced by – Will Young, Tom Blundell (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Matt Henry, Ajaz Patel & Trent Boult .. ..
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club is in Birmingham. Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. By 1791 it was being hailed as "the first manufacturing town in the world". The modern Birmingham is a major international commercial centre, It possesses three universities and two university colleges make it the largest centre of higher education in the United Kingdom outside London. Edgbaston traditionally has a reputation for being one of the most highend, upmarket and/or affluent parts of Birmingham. Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure; its home is Edgbaston Cricket Ground. This is a historic ground in existence for over a century. Edgbaston's first test match was the first in the The Ashes series against Australia in 1902.
Today, nearly 20,000
unmasked cricket fans have piled into Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham to watch the England vs New Zealand Test
match, even though coronavirus is surging across the country again and Cabinet
ministers are considering extending lockdown beyond June 21. Downing Street has
allowed the stadium to operate at 70 per cent capacity today, meaning 18,000
spectators are currently watching the action without following social
distancing measures at the first mass sports event without the most severe
restrictions since the 2020 Cheltenham Festival.
All fans are required to
present a negative lateral flow test ahead of the match, join a 'human snake'
to take the 20-minute walk to the stadium from Birmingham city centre to avoid
public transport, and use an app to present their tickets as well as for
ordering food and drink in the grounds. Stadium operators will also lay on
extra buses on busy routes to avoid overcrowding by using postcode analysis of
spectators' home addresses. However, fans are not required to wear masks when
seated. Meanwhile, Euro 2020 matches at
Wembley Stadium will be given an exemption from lockdown rules even if the
Prime Minister extends lockdown, after the Football Association was required to
give UEFA a commitment that at least 22,5000 fans will attend each of the seven
games hosted in London.
The scenes are reminiscent
of those seen at Cheltenham in March last year, when thousands flocked to the
Gloucestershire racecourse as the pandemic took grip in the UK. Though
ministers were encouraging social distancing even then, they were blamed for
not preventing the deaths which followed. With coronavirus surging a third time, Downing
Street is likely to face fierce criticism from those who are calling for an
extension of lockdown. SAGE adviser Professor Neil Ferguson, famous for
breaking the shutdown rules which he effectively designed, has warned that it
will be three weeks before reliable data becomes available that will help
ministers decide whether the easing needs to be halted.
The Prime Minister is
understood to be considering implementing a so-called 'mix and match' unlocking
on June 21, with face coverings, work-from-home guidance and the rule of six
all likely to remain mandatory into July but the 30 guest cap on weddings to be
dropped. He hinted that lockdown could
be extended yesterday after saying that 'everybody can see cases and
hospitalisations are going up', after Department of Health bosses posted
another 7,540 positive coronavirus tests in the biggest week-on-week increase
since February.
Currently, no event can
have more than 25 per cent stadium capacity, up to a maximum of 10,000 people,
as part of step three in the government's roadmap out of lockdown. Step four
could take place as soon as June 21 when all social distancing may be lifted,
provided the spread of the virus remains under control and the vaccination
programme continues to roll out.
But the scenes
at Edgbaston are likely to fuel panic among certain pockets of the Government,
as SAGE advisers call for an extension of draconian curbs on liberty and the
economy.
Britain in chaos
!!
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
10th June 2021
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