The state of Tamil Nadu has gone under severe lockdown after the government has directed to close the educational institutions, private establishments, and tourist spots with the view of containing the rapid spread of the Coronavirus (COVID19), which has become a global pandemic and has been causing unprecedented damages and calamities across the globe and plummeting the global economy and markets.

As various states in India have been reporting more positive cases in its territories, the Tamil Nadu government has been installing measures and precautions to combat and to contain the spread of the virus. As part of the measures, the government has on Tuesday constituted a task force to counter the epidemic. According to the reports, this task force would be headed by Chief Secretary Shanmugam and it would monitor the preventive measures taken against the spread of the coronavirus.

The task force will be comprised of the members of the secretaries of various government departments, Director-General of Police, Chairman of Chennai port, General Manager of Southern Railways, the Director of Chennai Airport, the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, the Director of Medical Education, and two public health experts. The installation of such task force has come a day after the state government has ordered to shut down the schools, colleges, private and government universities, training institutes till March 31st to avoid the spread of the contagion.

Adding to that, the government has issued orders to close all the shopping malls, parks, gyms, swimming pools, museums, and zoos till March 31st as these sites would normally have huge people gatherings. The reports say the government has decided not to consent the permissions for public meetings, seminars, processions, cultural programmes, sports events, exhibitions, and conferences during this period as the state has been brought under severe lockdown towards self-quarantining itself to shield from the epidemic.

The government has also issued orders to close the clubs, liquor bars, tourist resorts, and spots. Some of the most visited spots like Ooty, Kodaikanal, and Mamallapuram have now been closed to the visitors as part of the combat mission to contain the spread. The officials in the hilly Nilgiris district have ordered to shut down all the tourist centers in Ooty and directed the visitors, who are staying in resorts and hotels, to return to their places in 24 hours. It has been reported that the people entering the hilly district have been getting screened at the eight check posts and about 40 medical teams have been on the high alert and monitoring the district.

The same situation prevails in Kodaikanal and Mamallapuram. The reports further stated that the foreigners and the visitors who are visiting Kodaikanal would be screened before letting to climb the hills and the heritage site of Mamallapuram has been closed to the visitors. The state government has also appealed to the people to avoid mass gatherings and to observe social distancing until the end of the month as the state has been enhancing its mechanisms to contain the global pandemic. Currently, Tamil Nadu is not housing any positive case in its territory. A 45-year-old Tamil Nadu man who returned to the state from Muscat, Oman was tested positive earlier this month following which he was quarantined for further treatments. On March 10th, Tamil Nadu Health Minister stated that he was tested negative and asserted that the state is now free from Coronavirus.