Tamil Nadu govt orders closure of all educational institutions, malls, theatres till March 31

Stepping up preventive measures against coronavirus, the Tamil Nadu government on Monday ordered closure of all educational institutions and places thronged by public in large numbers such as liquor bars theatres, malls and resorts till March 31.

Making the announcement after chairing a review meeting with cabinet colleagues at the Secretariat, Chief Minister K Palaniswami also said restrictions would be imposed on weddings while public meetings, conferences, processions will be banned till the month end, an official release said.

These measures will come into effect from Tuesday.

Laying thrust on avoiding large congregation of people, Palaniswami said liquor bars, theatres, malls, resorts, amusement parks, swimming pools, gymnasiums, zoos and museums should be closed. The measures came a day after the government declared holidays for kindergarten and primary sections till the month end in view of coronavirus outbreak.

The state has so far reported only one positive case of COVID-19 and the 45-year-old engineer from neighbouring Kancheepuram is set to be discharged from hospital as he has recovered from the disease.

Palaniswami said though educational institutions across the state would be closed, examinations for students of Class X to Class XII and colleges and practicals would take place as per schedule.

"Medical colleges will continue to function", the chief minister said.

All 'anganwadi' centres will be closed till March 31 and dry ration for 15 days should be handed over to the respective families of the children enrolled.

Palaniswami said those events which had already been fixed in marriage halls be conducted, but no new functions should be entertained by the managements.

Noting that health experts have opined that the spread of the virus can be minimised if lesser number of people take part in festivals and social events, he appealed to the public to follow the guidelines.

They should also avoid going on tours taking advantage of holidays declared for educational institutions, the chief minister said adding tourist resorts operating in the state should be closed and not make any advance bookings till the month end.

Issuing long list of don'ts, he said officials should not grant permission for holding processions, public meetings, summer camps, conferences, business expos, cultural events, sporting activities, he said.

Visitors passes for witnessing assembly proceedings had been stopped by the Speaker acting on a government request.

The Chief Minister had written to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to ensure all railway stations in the state and coaches of trains were cleaned using disinfectants on a daily basis.

Palaniswami urged the public and private enterprises to follow the advisories issued by Union Health Ministry and the state health department in controlling the spread of the virus.

He directed all district collectors, police personnel and other government departments to ensure that all the orders imposed were strictly followed.

Palaniswami also warned of strict action against those individuals who spread false information or rumours on social media about coronavirus.

People are asked to ensure personal hygiene and avoid visiting religious places, beaches, markets.

Those individuals who suffer from cold, cough and fever should avoid going to offices and those with symptoms of coronavirus should approach Government hospitals to take up the mandatory tests.

Palaniswami said a 24-hour helpline has been set up to get information about the coronavirus at 104, 044-29510400, 04429510500, 09444340496 and 8754448477.

Meanwhile, the guided tour of the Raj Bhavan here for public has been suspended till March 31, a release from the Governor's office said.

The Film Employees' Federation of South India (FEFSI) announced suspension of all production activities till March 25 when the body will meet again on taking a call on resuming the work, its chief R K Selvamani said.

The filmmaker said the Producers' Association has also informed FEFSI that all shootings are being put on hold.

Since outdoor work cannot be put on hold immediately, the suspension was coming into effect from Thursday, he told reporters.

"From March 19 onwards shooting concerning the film industry, the small screen and advertisement films work will be suspended," he said.

The move will affect both producers and employees alike, but "lives are more important," he said, adding, about 9,000 workers will be impacted following FEFSI's decision.