While Chennai and its neighboring districts are three days ahead of bracing the enhanced lockdown for 12 days from June 19 to June 30, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami has, on Tuesday, announced that the government would distribute the cash support to the rice ration cardholders in Chennai and the lockdown areas from June 22 at their doorsteps to ensure that they wouldn't step out to the public distribution shops to avail the benefit.

The Chief Minister said that the rice ration cardholders living in the city and its suburbs would be provided with the cash support of Rs 1,000 per ration cardholder from June 22 and the government has issued appropriate orders to the respective department to distribute the cash at their doorsteps. 

The Chief Minister further appealed to people to extend their co-operation to the government by adhering to the lockdown measures, which become pivotal to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. He further stated that the government would also be providing financial assistance of Rs 1,000 each to nearly 13.35 lakh differently-abled people in Tamil Nadu, who posses the identity cards, in the wake of the lockdown.

The announcement of financial support at the doorsteps has come a day after the state government has imposed the enhanced lockdown in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, and Tiruvallur for 12 days from June 19 to June 30, as these four districts have accounted for 80% of COVID-19 cases in the state. 

The enhanced lockdown, second in a month, would apply for Chennai and areas that fall under the jurisdiction of Greater Chennai police in three districts. The government has permitted the movement of extremely essential services and restricted the unnecessary hop outs from the residences. During the tenure, grocery shops, vegetable shops, and fuel stations would be functioning from 6 am to 2 pm in these four districts, tea shops would be shut down and the hotels are permitted to offer only delivery services. 

Two Sundays during this period (June 21 and 28) would go under complete full day lockdown. However, the government has clarified the movement of the emergency and essential services would be permitted to ply, as the state hopes to flatten the COVID-19 affected curve in the enhanced lockdown.

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