COVID-19: TN Announces Complete Lockdown In Chennai And Three Other Districts

CHENNAI (Tamil Nadu): The Tamil Nadu government has announced a full lockdown in Chennai and its neighbouring Thiruvallur, Chengalpet and Kancheepuram districts from June 19 to 30. The four areas account for 37,352 of the total 44,661 positive COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, the total COVID-19 infection in Tamil Nadu has risen to 46,504 with 1,843 new cases confirmed yesterday. The new cases included 1,415 in Chennai alone. In all, 1,138 people returned back home after recovery and the active caseload remains at 20,678. Meanwhile, 44 others succumbed to the disease taking the toll to 479.

In a statement, Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy said that shops will be allowed to operate from 8 AM to 2 PM during the full lockdown. He also announced a dole of a thousand rupees each for all families with ration cards living in the region where the full lockdown is to be implemented. The unorganized labour welfare board members will also be given a relief of a thousand rupees each to help them during the time of the full lockdown.

The decision came after serious deliberations between the chief minister and the expert committee set up by the government.

Dr P Kuganantham, a senior epidemiologist and member of the 19-member expert committee on COVID-19 set up by the government, said: “We have given advice (to the government) on cutting down relaxations and (further) prevent the spread of the virus and the government will make a decision.”

The panel had about an hour and a half discussion with Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, Health Minister C Vijayabaskar and other top state officials.

This is the fifth meeting of the expert committee with the government and several experts including Dr Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist with WHO and Dr Prabhdeep Kaur, public health expert with Indian Council for Medical Research- National Institute of Epidemiology here took part in the meeting through a virtual link.

Here are the guidelines for complete lockdown in the four districts:

• Grocery shops, vegetable shops, petrol bunks and mobile markets can function between 6 am and 2 pm
• People driving in their own vehicles can travel only within 2 km of their house
• Only essential services and travel for medical emergencies will be permitted
• Banks will be open only on June 29 and June 30
• E-passes will be issued for people only for weddings, deaths and medical emergencies
• Amma Unavagams and community kitchens will be open

Meanwhile, the state government has rejected the principal opposition DMK’s charge that it is directionless in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic.

Responding to the opposition leader M K Stalin’s media release that the Government is hiding the actual information on the number of victims due to the disease, the State Health Minister Dr Vijayabhaskar has said the data are put in the public domain every day transparently.

He told reporters last evening in Chennai, early detection of the infected cases and prompt medical intervention is the government’s strategy. He claimed that Chennai tops in carrying out tests saying the number of beds and medical staff strength to overcome the disease is scaled up incommensurate with the increasing caseload.

Meanwhile, the authorities are bracing themselves up to implement the full lockdown from the 19th to the 30th of this month in the worst affected Chennai and its adjoining areas rigorously.

from League of India