Tamil Nadu to enforce near total shutdown from March 17

Tamil Nadu to face a near-total shutdown with the government announcing the closure of educational institutions, cinema theatres, malls, amusement parks and bars till March 31 as part of measures to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The state, which has no positive case of Coronavirus for now, also asked people with symptoms of the deadly virus to report to government hospitals and get tested, in a major change from its earlier policy of testing only those who returned from affected countries that too only if they displayed indications of the disease.

So far, the state has tested only 87 people and quarantined nearly 2,200 people, including 15 in hospitals. The lone patient who tested positive has tested negative in subsequent tests but is yet to be discharged from the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) here.

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Under criticism that it was not testing enough, the government said it was now testing more people who either travel history or have come in contact those who had travelled to affected countries. On Monday alone, 128 samples were collected and sent for testing, state Health Minister C Vijayabhaskar said.

Extending the closure of schools to all educational institutions and malls from border districts to the whole of the state, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced that passengers who arrive from neighbouring states will be screened through thermal scanner close to the toll plazas and asked people not to venture out unnecessarily.

Besides educational institutions and malls, swimming pools, gymnasiums, zoos, museums, bars and tourist resorts will also be closed till March 31.

Except for medical colleges, all educational institutions, including coaching centres, will be closed till March 31. However, board exams for classes 10, 11 and 12 will continue to be held, the Chief Minister said. While the anganwadi centres will be closed till March 31, dry ration supply for students of those centres will be home delivered till the aforesaid period, following the footsteps of neighbouring Kerala and Karnataka.

“Since holidays have been announced, people should not go for a vacation. It is strongly advised that people don’t go to tourist places. They should also avoid going to crowded places like temples, churches and mosques,” Palaniswami said in the statement.

The government also asked marriage halls not to make any new bookings till March 31 and limit number of visitors at events that have already been booked.

Meanwhile, the film industry decided to cancel all shootings from March 19, even as Muslim organisations appealed to anti-CAA protesters to temporarily call off their agitation in view of the situation arising out of coronavirus.