Coronavirus: Chennai beaches closed for public till further orders

The announcement comes as the state government is stepping up measures to prevent unnecessary gathering of people in public places.
Coronavirus: Chennai beaches closed for public till further orders
Coronavirus: Chennai beaches closed for public till further orders
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In an attempt to restrict people from gathering at public places in large numbers, the Greater Chennai Corporation will shut entry to beaches in the city from Saturday.

The announcement came on Saturday from G Prakash, Commissioner, Greater Chennai Corporation, which stated that all beaches in Chennai, including Marina Beach, Elliots Beach in Besant Nagar, Palavakkam Beach and Thiruvanmiyur Beach will be closed to the public from 3pm on Saturday. The shutdown will be in force until further notice, he added.

This announcement comes as the state is taking steps on a war footing to restrict the spread of coronavirus. “During weekends people will usually visit the beaches and it will be crowded there. The purpose of asking people to maintain social distancing is lost in such scenarios, hence we have decided to close all the beaches that fall under Greater Chennai Corporation’s jurisdiction,” he told TNM.

The government of Tamil Nadu, on Friday, announced that it will be closing its borders with Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh till March 31, to prevent unnecessary movement of vehicles and passengers between the states. The partial ban, however, will not be applicable to goods transport vehicles carrying essential commodities like milk, petrol, diesel, gas cylinder, medicines and vegetables.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister had given district authorities the power to shut down establishments in their districts in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The state had also announced complete shutdown of educational institutions (except medical colleges), shopping malls, cinema theatres, amusement parks, zoos, museums and other recreation centres till March 31, to prevent crowding of people.

The government has also requested people to avoid gathering for religious purposes and to conduct funerals with the bare minimum attendees as possible. The Chief Minister had also requested people to work from home wherever possible and to get themselves screened if they showed symptoms of COVID-19 which includes cough, fever and shortness of breath.

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