All 16 Sembakkam municipal wards cordoned off as 6 of a family test +ve

The municipality has been declared as a containment area to make sure that the virus does not get spread further. The municipality lockdown will come into effect from early morning on Monday, and is expected to be in place for at least two weeks, officials indicated.

Area containment would result in the closure of all shops in the municipality with only medical shops allowed to remain functional. Residents will be forced to stay inside their houses and no one will be allowed to step out.

No person from other neighbouring localities will be allowed to enter Sembakkam during the next two weeks. Groceries will be delivered at every street once in a week in a minivan or truck while vegetables will be available twice in a week. All these essentials will come in prepacked bags and residents will have to buy it as such, with not much liberty to choose. Officials will be using a public announcement system to stress the importance of staying at home and police will be enforcing it very strictly.

Meanwhile, Kancheepuram district administration on Sunday said that it has banned riding pillion on two-wheelers. Only one person should be travelling on any kind of a two-wheeler. “Even husband-wife couple will not be allowed to travel on a single vehicle. This is also part of strict enforcement of physical distancing,” the official said.