Restrictions back in Salem to prevent COVID-19 spread

Coimbatore

“All shops and commercial establishments will be allowed to remain open only till 4 pm from Wednesday. Only takeaway will be permitted in hotels and bakeries till 8 pm, while tea stalls are not permitted to open,” said District Collector CA Raman, in a statement.

The weekly shandies will remain suspended until further orders, while ‘Uzhavar Shandai’ will function as usual. The Collector has also advised the bus crew and passengers to wear masks and ensure social distancing.

Essential services like pharmacies, hospitals and petrol bunks are exempted. However, hospitals and pharmacies have been asked not to give medicines to the public without prescription. The public have also been asked to inform the district administration if they come across quacks treating COVID-19 patients. Meanwhile, the micro, small, medium and big industrial units can function as usual in adherence to norms.

The stringent restrictions come in the wake of a surge in the number of COVID-19 infections in the district with many being imported cases from other districts and states. A 60-year-old woman from 'Sanniyasikundu' area in Salem succumbed to COVID-19 on Tuesday. Officials of the health department said that she was suffering from comorbidities including diabetes, blood pressure and heart ailments.

With seven fresh cases on Tuesday, the Salem district has recorded 347 infections including 136 active cases.