COVID scene: Tamil Nadu seals borders; will allow only essential travel

In what comes as a major development, the Tamil Nadu government on Friday (March 20) sealed its borders with Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, allowing only essential travel.

Here is what you might want to know about the other measures implemented in Tamil Nadu to curb the spread of the virus.

• No vehicles from Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh will be allowed inside Tamil Nadu, except vehicles carrying essential commodities and perishables like milk, petrol, diesel, gas cylinders, and vegetables. Ambulances too are exempt from the restriction.
• In the wake of the ‘Janata curfew’, the state government has suspended all government bus services on March 22.
• The Chennai Metro Rail Limited has suspended train services on March 22, and from March 23, the trains will run with an interval of seven minutes instead of five minutes, so that the trains can be disinfected.
• Omni buses in Tamil Nadu have reduced the number of buses plying inter-city and inter-state from over 2,000 to around 900. All vehicles are sanitized after every trip.
• Extending their support to the Janata curfew, Tamil Nadu Hotels Association, Tamil Nadu Milk Dealers Employees Welfare Association, and Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peramaipu have decided to suspend their services on March 22.
• The state government has asked people to avoid visiting hospitals for regular check-ups, and if any surgery has been planned, it is recommended to postpone the surgery date.
• All private and government libraries would be shut till March 31.
• Textile manufacturing units in Coimbatore and Tirupur are to remain closed for 16 days to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.