Tamil Nadu extends Coronavirus lockdown till April 30, becomes 7th state to do so

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami on Monday announced the extension of the lockdown by another two weeks till April 30 in a bid to flatten the Coronavirus curve in the state.

With this move, Tamil Nadu has became the seventh state to announce the extension of lockdown along with Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, West Bengal, Karnataka and Telangana.

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Tamil Nadu has so far recorded 1075 cases of novel Coronavirus, only to be third after Delhi. Eleven people have died of the deadly infection.

In a statement issued, Palaniswami said that based on the recommendation made by expert group and the decision taken at the cabinet meeting held on April 11, the lockdown has been extended.

He also said rice and one kg sugar/oil/dal will be given free of cost to ration card holders for May.

Palaniswami also said Rs 1,000 will be paid to construction workers and members of various sectoral welfare boards.

Similarly, migrant workers will be issued 15 kg rice, 1 kg dal and one kg cooking oil free of cost.

According to him, based on requests, bakeries will be allowed to function between 6 am to 1 p.m. and they can do only parcel sales.

Palaniswami said the government has made arrangement with Telemedicine Society of India so that people can do get clarifications.

On Saturday, four states — Karnataka, Telangana, West Bengal and Maharashtra had announced the extension shortly after a video conference of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the chief ministers to discuss exit strategy and possible extension of the 21-day lockdown amid a spurt in the number of Coronavirus cases.

The Prime Minister, who was seen sporting a mask, had agreed with the states that the lockdown should be extended by another two weeks to contain the deadly virus.

Speaking at the video conference, PM Modi said that the focus should be on “jaan bhi, jahaan bhi” (if there’s life, there’s everything) and it is essential for “India’s bright future, and prosperous and healthy India”.

“While announcing the lockdown, I had said ‘jaan hai to jahan hai’… Most people in the country understood it and discharged their responsibilities by remaining indoors. And now it is imperative to focus on both aspects, ‘Jaan Bhi Jahan Bhi’, for India’s bright future, and prosperous and healthy India,” the Prime Minister told the head of the states.

Several states have pitched for an extension of the lockdown at least till April 30. However, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan opposed lockdown extension in the meeting with the Prime Minister, becoming the first CM to do so.

Punjab last Friday became the second state after Odisha to extend the 21-day lockdown till May 1.

The Odisha government, taking a major step towards containing the novel Coronavirus, on Wednesday announced the extension of the 21-day lockdown till April 30 and also urged the Centre to follow suit.

The current shutdown is slated to end on April 14. However, speculations are rife that it will be extended for another two weeks.