Tamil Nadu government extends Janta Curfew till March 23 to combat Coronavirus

The Tamil Nadu government on Sunday decided to continue with the Janta Curfew in the state till 5 am on March 23. "The Janta Curfew is extended till 5 am on March 23. There will be no restriction or ban on emergency work. We request a full co-operation from people," the state government said.

Tamil Nadu reported its seventh COVID-19 case on Sunday with a traveller from Spain testing positive for the disease. The patient is undergoing treatment in isolation, state Minister for Health and Family Welfare C Vijayabaskar said.

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A high-level meeting has been held on Sunday with Chief Secretaries of all the States by the Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister and the decision was made. All the Chief Secretaries informed that there is an overwhelming and spontaneous response to the 'Janta Curfew' call by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. All passenger train services have been suspended till March 31. Only goods trains will ply. Inter-state passenger transport will also be suspended till March 31, 2020.

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Besides the Janta Curfew proposed by the Prime Minister, five states namely Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Punjab have announced a lockdown till March 31. The Janta Curfew has received a stunning response, with entire nation observing a self-imposed lockdown in a bid to tackle the dreadful virus which is spreading at an alarming rate. Due to the self-imposed curfew, different popular places across the country which have been the crowd pullers, now wear a desolate look marking the success of the Janta Curfew. 

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Addressing the nation on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked extensively about the challenges caused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He stressed that “resolve” and “restraint” were the two most important things to be followed and appealed to citizens to not step out from their homes on Sunday from 7 AM to 9 PM.  

Coronavirus Crisis

The Coronavirus pandemic has so far infected over three lakh worldwide, with the number of deaths over 13,000. The hardest-hit region, after China, is Italy, Iran and South Korea, where the number of cases is rising by the hour. India has so far reported at least 350 confirmed cases and seven deaths (three deaths today) while 24 cases have completely recovered and discharged. 

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