The Tamil Nadu government and the police department must strictly enforce the lockdown and ensure that no one, other than those going out for medical and essential purposes, is found roaming on the roads, PMK founder S. Ramadoss said.
In a statement, Dr. Ramadoss said strict action must be taken against people who are violating the lockdown. “The government must not be afraid that it will face opposition from the people. It is the duty of the government to protect its citizens. There is nothing wrong in taking strong measures for doing good for the people,” he said.
Dr. Ramadoss said even after three days of the lockdown, many of the roads in Chennai and across the State were seeing a number of vehicles plying after the cut-off time of 12 p.m. “This leads to a doubt whether the lockdown, which was imposed to cut the chain of transmission, will fetch its desired results,” he said.
He said the reason for asking all shops other than essential ones to remain closed was to ensure that people stay indoors. But the manner in which the lockdown measures were being followed, led to a worry that the COVID-19 transmission chain may not be broken, he added.
Dr. Ramadoss said the onus was also on the citizens to ensure that the lockdown was successful. “It is true that individual freedoms and rights that we have been used to for so long might feel stifled during the lockdown, but it is important to protect everyone’s lives,” he added.
