JOIN USCoronavirus lockdown relaxation: Public transport service resumes & temples reopen in Tamil Nadu
After five-and-a-half months, Tamil Nadu returned to near normalcy on Tuesday with resumption of public transport and reopening of temples and shopping malls as a slew of relaxations announced by the government came into force.
Scrapping of the e-pass system within the state from Tuesday also ensured free flow of movement of people from other districts into capital Chennai and vice-versa.
As the temples opened after a gap of about six months, hundreds of people thronged religious places across the state. Hundreds of people stood patiently in long queues for darshan at Sri Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, Sri Brihadeeswara Temple in Thanjavur, Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram, and Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam near Tiruchirapalli.
Temple authorities deployed volunteers and security staff to ensure that devotees maintain physical distance while standing in the queues, even as the government banned distribution of vibudhi (sacred ash) and kumkum to the visitors. The devotees were also asked to clean their hands with sanitizers before entering the campus.
While wearing masks is a prerequisite for entry into temples, the Brihadeeswara Temple in Thanjavur also collected details of the devotees as a precautionary measure. Since Tuesday was Purnima (full moon day), the crowd swelled as the day progressed.
Buses belonging to the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) were seen on the roads for the first time since March 24, when the lockdown came into force in Tamil Nadu, as government-owned vehicles resumed services across the state.
In the MTC buses, the government has installed hand sanitizers which the passengers need to use before proceeding to their seats, while the drivers and conductors are given duty only after checking their body temperature. Transport Minister M R Vijayabhaskar, who himself recovered from Covid-19, said bus services will stop at 9 pm and announced that the frequency will be increased if there is demand from the people.
“Though buses will run only within districts, we have asked the drivers and conductors to stop the service at the next bus stop of the other district if it is very near. This is just to avoid people walking the 1 or 2 km distance,” he said.
Shopping malls across the state also reopened on Tuesday with several safety measures in place. In Chennai’s Phoenix shopping mall, visitors are allowed only after checking their body temperature, while foot-operated sanitizer vending machines were installed to avoid people using their hands.
Tamil Nadu had reported a total of 4,28,041 Covid-19 positive cases including 3,68,141 discharges and 7,322 deaths by Tuesday morning. The number of active cases stood at 52,578.