Western region largely saw stringent enforcing of restrictions on Monday, day one of the intense one-week lockdown announced by the State Government to control COVID-19.
Barring banks, pharmacies and milk outlets, other establishments remained closed. Stringent checks were done at inter-State and inter-district borders. Only those in medical emergency were allowed to cross the border.
The first day of the intense lockdown was almost complete in Coimbatore district as the police restricted unnecessary movement of people and vehicles.
Police were present at sensitive places, major junctions and check posts, apart from conducting patrols.
A senior official with the Coimbatore City Police said the first day of the intense lockdown was incident-free in the city limits.
Unlike in the previous period of the lockdown, the number of people who ventured out unnecessarily was minimal on Monday.
Fourteen vehicles were seized and 1,060 cases were booked for violations.
In Coimbatore rural, the police registered around 90 cases. Twenty persons who were found possessing liquor were also booked.
At Periyanaickenpalayam, Sub-Inspector Tilak and his team conducted awareness on the lockdown and COVID-19 through folk songs.
All the MSMEs, except those who supply to the healthcare sector, in Coimbatore and Tiruppur stopped production on Monday because of the lockdown. A few units that had workers in-house are said to have taken up maintenance and cleaning works.
Tiruppur City Police deployed around 800 police personnel to check violations and ensure compliance with the lockdown rules.
In the Nilgiris, officials from the district administration and the police cracked down on people violating the lockdown.
District Collector J. Innocent Divya stopped motorists who were violating the lockdown.
The Collector and Superintendent of Police R. Pandiarajan asked police personnel to seize vehicles of persons who were moving around the towns. At the Kakkanallah check post, police seized over 300 bottles of liquor that were being smuggled from Karnataka. Two persons, identified as R. Sanjindev (29) from Devarsholai in Gudalur and R. Narayanan (27) from Parsons Valley were arrested.
In Erode, people mostly stayed indoors. Hotels and restaurants provided only takeaway service. Amma canteens functioned as usual, providing food packets to the needy. Workers proceeding to construction sites were sent back. Buses transporting workers of cotton and spinning mills were allowed after producing e-registration proof. Two-wheelers and four-wheelers that were moving about without valid reasons were impounded at various places.
In Salem, the restrictions announced by the State government had minimal effect as a significant number of vehicles continued to move within the city.
Salem City Police seized 141 vehicles at various check points and registered 29 cases against businesses for violations. Salem District police seized 10 vehicles.
In Krishnagiri, the roads were not totally empty, with a significant number of people travelling to hospitals and pharmacies.
Vehicles out on the roads in violation of the norms were intercepted at police pickets. In Hosur, the streets were barren except for the ambulances rushing patients to hospitals.
