Heavy traffic was seen in three Tamil Nadu cities of Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai after the state government announced relaxation during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday announced relaxations for Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai where a four-day “intense lockdown” (starting April 26) was clamped to check the spread of Covid-19.
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said shops selling essential items, vegetables and fruits will open between 6 am and 5 pm in these cities.
However, Palaniswami said the timings for shops will be between 6 am and 1 pm from May 1.
“Our government is taking steps to curtail Covid-19 on a war footing. Except for Chennai, the spread of coronavirus is under control in all other districts in the state. All the district collectors are doing a good job,” Palaniswami said on Wednesday.
The state government has urged people to strictly follow social distancing norms while going to shops and asked them to remain patient and calm. “People are directed to wear masks while visiting the shops,” it said cautioning them against the contagion.
Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai were among the five cities in Tamil Nadu which were put under an “intense lockdown” to check the spread of the highly infectious coronavirus disease or Covid-19 on April 26.
The lockdown was intensified for four days from April 26 till 9 pm on April 29 in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai. Two smaller cities of Salem and Tirupur are under stricter restrictions for three days till 9 pm on April 28.
The government decided to tighten curbs under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, in select urban regions based on expert opinion as the number of infections rose.
The “intense lockdown” in Tamil Nadu came in the middle of a nationwide shutdown ordered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month and extended to May 3.
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