NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, JULY 19
All activities came to a grinding halt in Tamil Nadu under an intense lockdown, the third successive Sunday of total curbs without any relaxations to help fight COVID-19 and roads everywhere wore a deserted look as people stayed indoors.
19.7.20
முழு அடைப்பு.#கொரோனா பரவல் தடுப்பு.#திருப்பத்தூர் மக்களுக்கு நன்றி 💐for all the cooperation extended, to prevent the transmission & control the #COVID19
Thank you #tirupathur citizens💐#TogetherWeCan pic.twitter.com/ROdIB2ioAq— Vijayakumar IPS (@vijaypnpa_ips) July 19, 2020
Barring milk supply and health care services, all other activities came to a halt and markets were closed down. Shops, including those selling essential commodities, were shut.
https://twitter.com/Sumitips/status/1284719649821609985
But for cargo trucks, other vehicles went off the roads. For sanitary workers, it was business as usual as they continued their clean-up work, and personnel of civic bodies conducted door to door surveys to detect people with flu like symptoms and fever camps were also held. State run subsidised Amma canteens functioned as usual to feed poor people living on streets.
Check posts were set up at key intersections in towns and cities, including 193 in Chennai and at district borders as part of measures to effectively implement the complete shutdown.
Greater Chennai Police rendered assistance to those suffering without food during lockdown.https://t.co/xtLOLkUD5w pic.twitter.com/8Dzz1VyZH8
— GREATER CHENNAI POLICE -GCP (@chennaipolice_) July 19, 2020
“No vehicle will be allowed to ply on the roads except those for milk distribution, medical emergencies and funerals,” Chennai police said in a statement adding any other vehicle found plying without any of these valid reasons would be detained. For any queries, the traffic control room may be contacted at 044-23452330 and 23452362, the release said.
Following violations like opening of meat shops in quite a few areas like Virudhunagar district’s Aruppukottai, authorities swung into action and closed down the outlets.
Local bodies utilise the curbs to reach out to even more people to detect a higher number of flu-like cases.
Tamil Nadu police said till date Rs 18.39 crore fine have been levied against violators of curbs and as many as 6.41 lakh vehicles seized across the state.
The state is set to witness one more ”Sunday lockdown” on July 26 and authorities expect such measures to augment ongoing initiatives to help slow down the spread of COVID-19 and early identification of people with flu like symptoms and treatment for those who test positive.
