Combat COVID: Corpn closes city beaches till further notice

Even though the janata curfew would start at 7 am on Sunday, beaches started closing down from Saturday at 3 pm. “The beaches will be closed till further orders. Apart from Marina and Elliot’s, beaches including Palavakkam, Neelankarai and Thiruvanmiyur will also be closed,” Chennai Corporation Commissioner G Prakash said.

When asked how the civic body will implement the curfew at the beaches, which would be frequented by morning walkers, Prakash told DT Next that police deployment would be made to prevent visitors coming to the beaches and the curfew would be strictly enforced.

In the last few days, several residents have been visiting beaches for morning exercise after the government ordered closure of gyms. The civic body has already closed all the parks in the city. “Several residents come to the beaches everyday. To safeguard themand to prevent COVID-19 from spreading, the beaches are being closed,” a Chennai Corporation statement stated.

Soon after the civic body issued orders to close the beaches, officials and police asked the people on the beaches to leave and instructed vendors to close their shops.The Corporation has requested the public to contact 044 25385420 or civic body hospitals with regards to doubts over the disease.