Current affairs

Chennai would go under complete lockdown for 12 days from June 19- What do you need to know?

By alagu, 15 June, 2020
India, Tamilnadu, Chennai, Coronavirus, Nationwide lockdown

Amid the floating speculations on the implementation of the complete lockdown in Chennai and its adjacent districts, the Tamil Nadu state government has, on Monday, announced that Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, and Chengalpattu districts would go under the complete and enhanced lockdown for 12 days from June 19th in the wake of the exponential rise of the COVID-19 cases in the state.

According to the reports, the enhanced lockdown with tight restrictions would stay in place in these four districts till June 30th as these four districts have burdened the government with a huge challenge in flattening the COVID-19 curve and the state government has proposed the implementation after Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami has chaired the crucial meetings with the medical experts' committee and the state cabinet on Monday.

The sudden development has come days after the Tamil Nadu government has asserted that it has no plan to implement the enhanced lockdown in these four districts. According to the press release issued by the government, the complete lockdown would be imposed in Chennai and in greater Chennai police limits in Kancheepuram, Thiruvallur, and Chengalpattu. 

 

The press release stated that the decision of imposing the enhanced lockdown was taken based on the discussions with the medical experts' committee and the cabinet ministers. As per the order, vegetable shops, petrol stations, grocery shops, and mobile markets in these four districts would be functioning between 6.00 am and 2.00 pm and people plying to the market in their private vehicles would be allowed to travel only within two kilometers from their residence.

According to the reports, tea shops in these four districts would be closed till June 30 and the hotels are barred to offer dine-in services. However, the hotels can offer parcel services from morning 6 am to evening 8 pm. Hospitals and pharmacies will be allowed to function and the ambulance services would also be permitted. The government has arrested the movements of Autos and taxis and these vehicles can ply only for emergency purposes. 

The Public Distribution Shops will be functioning from 8 am to 2 pm in these four districts. However, the ration shops in the containment zones would remain closed and the rations and relief amount would be provided to the people at the containment zones at their doorsteps. The state government departments which are under essential services would be working with 33% manpower so are the Central government departments. The Tamil Nadu traders association headed by T Vellaiyan has announced that the shops under the association would be functioning from 6 am to 2 pm from Tuesday -June 16 till the end of the month.

Banks are allowed to carry out the operations on June 29 and 30 with a 33% workforce. According to the orders, these four districts would go under full shutdown on June 21 and 28 (Sundays) for the entire day, restricting the movements of people, unless the movement becomes extremely essential. The enhanced lockdown is the second episode for the city as it has gone through a similar lockdown for four days in the fourth phase of the lockdown.

The announcement of the enhanced lockdown for 12 days is the longest tenure for the city and the adjacent districts in the fifth phase of the lockdown, which carried more relaxations to gradually pull out the state from the complete lockdown. However, Tamil Nadu has been witnessing the sharpest rise in the cases with the major contribution from Chennai and as the sequel of that, the city has been imposed with the lockdown to curb the spread.

 

On Monday, while speaking to the reporters, the medical experts' committee had said that they had recommended the government to implement further restrictions in these four districts to contain the spread following which the decision was taken. The government said that the e-pass for exiting these active hotspots would be provided only for the extremely emergency purposes and apart from the emergency services, all other services would remain prohibited. The government said that it has taken the decision under the National Diaster Act of 2005.

Also read: TN CM EPS to meet experts' and his cabinet on COVID-19 crisis: What would come up?

 

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