Tamil Nadu declares four days intense lockdown in five cities

Tamil Nadu is one of the worst affected Indian states due to COVID-19 spread. On Friday, state Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami declared an intense lockdown in five cities of the state. Chennai, Tirupur, Salem, Madurai and Coimbatore will be completely shut down from Sunday 6 am to Wednesday 9 pm.

Over 400 COVID-19 cases have been reported from Chennai alone. This is followed by Coimbatore and Tirupur with 134 and 110 cases respectively.

According to reports, fruits and vegetables shops, ATM’s, restaurants with home delivery and AMMA run government canteens will be open during the four days. Community kitchens, caregiving services for disabled people and other NGO’s will not be allowed to operate.

In Tamil Nadu, over 1600 people have been tested positive for the virus. Over 20 people have died from COVID-19. The central government had extended the national lockdown till 3 May.

Reactions on social media

Many people took to social media to share their views about the intense lockdown.

“Tamil Nadu Govt needs to clarify clearly why they felt the need for total lockdown in select cities for 3-4 days. Such an announcement without any explanation is tailor made for rumour mongers to spread panic. @CMOTamilNadu @Vijayabaskarofl @DrBeelaIAS”, tweeted media personality Sumanth Raman.

“72 cases today at tamilnadu donno how s dis increasing day by day amidst the lock down period of more than 30 days besides doctors and polices Which means still lany ppl not following the lock down period We have to support our @CMOTamilNadu guys thats much more imp”, tweeted a social media user Aravind.