Coronavirus: Tamil Nadu shuts land border with Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala

Tamil Nadu will effectively shut its border with Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh from Saturday morning till March 31 by imposing a ban on “non-essential” vehicular traffic from the neighbouring states to prevent the outbreak of Coronavirus.

Only vehicles carrying essentials like vegetables, milk, petrol diesel, medicines, gas cylinders, and other commodities, ambulances and “limited number” of government buses will be allowed to enter from the three neighbouring states. The exemption has also been made for vehicles with passengers who need to travel for circumstances like a death in the family.

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Announcing the move, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said anyone entering the state will be allowed only after screening at the borders. The move has been taken to prevent further spread of COVID-19 which has so far claimed 4 lives in the country.

The state government has also asked the Southern Railway to “considerably reduce” the number of trains coming from other states.

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Checkpoints have been erected in 16 border districts in the state to ensure strict implementation of the orders by the government, district collectors told DH.

No vehicles from Bengaluru will be allowed to enter the checkpoint near Hosur in Krishnagiri district from 6 am on Saturday. The same will apply to vehicles going from Mysuru to Nilgiris and Erode. The effective ban on the vehicular entry will inconvenience thousands of people who shuttle between Bengaluru and Chennai and other parts of both the states.

“We have already erected 16 check posts along the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border and no vehicle coming from Karnataka side will be allowed into our state from Saturday morning. Enough personnel will be posted at the check posts to ensure smooth implementation of the orders,” Nilgiris District Collector J Innocent Divya told DH.

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Coimbatore district collector K Rajamani said vehicles from Tamil Nadu will be allowed to go Kerala but they will not be allowed to come back, which will not apply to vehicles carrying essential goods. “Except for essential goods and the vehicles that have been allowed, no other car or vehicle will be allowed inside the state,” Rajamani told DH.

The move was announced late on Friday evening as the state prepares to prevent a coronavirus outbreak.