JOIN USNight curfew comes into effect in Tamil Nadu
A six-hour long night curfew from 10 pm to 4 am as part of efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19 came into effect in Tamil Nadu from the night of April 20. The curbs will be in place till April 30.
Chennai and other cities and towns wore a deserted look as police deployed additional personnel to ensure that people comply with the curfew order.
The State Transport Corporation (STC) and State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) rescheduled timings of buses operated by it to and from various places to ensure that they reach their destinations before the night curfew comes into force.
The timings of long-distance bus services from Chennai to far-away places like Nagercoil, Kanyakumari, and Madurai have been advanced by 12 to six hours. Timing of private buses were also rescheduled with majority of the buses running during the day time instead of their regular night service due to the night curfew.
The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has also asked its staff who are above the age of 45 years to get vaccinated immediately. Suburban train services also came to close at 10 pm.
The state government announced that night curfew and a total lockdown on Sunday will be enforced till April 30 to contain the spread of Covid-19. In Chennai, majority of the flyovers were closed for traffic after 10 pm on Tuesday, while only essential and emergency services like media, and ambulance were allowed.
Chennai City Police installed 200 checkpoints across the city to monitor the movement of vehicles and people during the night curfew.
The state, which has been witnessing rapid increase in the number of people testing positive for the virus, has also closed beaches and tourist destinations like Ooty, Kodaikannal, and Yercaud for tourists. The Nilgiris Mountain Railway that runs daily train services from Mettupalayam to Ooty has suspended services from April 21.