A large number of people flouted social distancing norms and thronged to markets on Saturday to buy essentials in several cities in Tamil Nadu a day after the government announced a complete lockdown in the three major and two smaller cities.
The government has said a complete, four-day shutdown beginning Sunday 6 am will take place in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai, disallowing grocery shops as well and fully curtailing the movement of public. Two smaller cities, Salem and Tirupur in western Tamil Nadu, will also be shut for three days from 6 am on April 26.
In view of the total shutdown, Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami ordered essential shops to be open till 3 pm on Saturday, IANS reported.
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However, people had gathered in large number in markets to stock up on essentials and resorted to panic buying. Visuals of the crowd violating social distancing norms at B.B. Kulam farmers market in Madurai was shared by ANI.
During the nationwide lockdown, essential shops were allowed to function between 6 am to 1 pm in the state.
In addition to the tightening of restrictions in the three major cities,
The CM has assured people that vegetables and fruits shall reach their doorsteps via mobile outlets.
The government had already made mobile outlets (mini trucks and tri-cycles) selling vegetables and fruits operational in urban regions and Palaniswami had time and again appealed to people to buy food staples for at least a week and eliminate the need to visit local markets every day.
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Following a review meeting on the COVID-19 scenario in the State, Palaniswami said public health and medical experts have opined that imposing further restrictions in urban regions alone will help prevent the spread of contagion.
Government-run Tamil Nadu Co-operative Milk Producers' Federation (Aavin), meanwhile, announced that it has inked a pact with online food delivery aggregators Zomato and Duzo to distribute its flagship milk brand 'Aavin' and other dairy products including ghee directly to consumers in Chennai from its 21 hi-tech parlours, PTI reported.
Till date, Tamil Nadu has 1,755 confirmed COVID-19 cases and Chennai topped the list with 452 infected people followed by Coimbatore (141) and Tirupur (110). Madurai and Salem have 56 and 30 cases respectively.
(With Agency Inputs)
