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With sudden surge in COVID-19 cases, Tamil Nadu has raised the alarm bells . And in bid to stop spreading of the dreaded coronavirus, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami has announced strict enforcement of the lockdown.
According to the new guidelines , from Sunday onwards Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai will be locked completely for four days, disallowing grocery shops as well and fully curtailing the movement of public.
Tamil Nadu: People queue at a market in Chennai to buy essentials. Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami has announced a complete lockdown in the city from April 26 to April 29 from 6 AM & 9 PM. #CoronaLockdown pic.twitter.com/qPpNBOyZWx
— ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2020
Also, Salem and Tirupur in western Tamil Nadu will be shut similarly, albeit for three days from April 26, and Palaniswami assured people that vegetables and fruits shall reach their doorsteps via mobile outlets.
“To vend vegetables and fruits, only mobile outlets shall be allowed,” the chief minister said.
The government had already made mobile outlets (mini trucks and tri-cycles) selling vegetables and fruits operational in urban regions and Palaniswami had time and again appealed to people to buy food staples for at least a week and eliminate the need to visit local markets everyday.
Till Thursday, Tamil Nadu had 1,683 confirmed Covid-19 cases and Chennai topped the list with 400 infected people followed by Coimbatore (134) and Tirupur (110).
Madurai and Salem have 52 and 29 cases respectively.
The government has, hence, decided to tighten curbs under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 in select urban regions based on expert opinion, the chief minister said in an official release.
