The Nilgiris District Collector J Innocent Divya on Tuesday has informed that the lockdown in the Nilgiris will continue until May 17 and few shops in Ooty, Coonoor and Kotagiri will continue to function.
The Nilgiris: The Nilgiris District Collector J Innocent Divya on Monday has informed that the lockdown in the Nilgiris district will continue until May 17 and few shops in Ooty, Coonoor and Kotagiri will continue to function.
The COVID-19 lockdown which has been in place in the country is being gradually lifted depending on the spread of COVID in the respective districts. In Tamil Nadu, many districts are slowly lifting the lockdown.
In the Nilgiris, so far 9 COVID positive cases have been reported. Notably, all patients have fully recovered and discharged. With no news COVID cases for over ten days, the district administration has decided to extend the lockdown until May 17.
With regard to opening of shops in the district, a detailed meeting was held with the representatives of the Traders Association at the Collectorate on Monday. It was decided that people will be apprised of the nature of shops that will be opened. Importantly, people and the shop keepers should maintain social distancing at all times.
Informing this, the District Collector J Innocent Divya said, "Shops have been granted permission to commencefunctioning from Wednesday. Those shops that do not maintain social distancing norms will be sealed. The public must not step out without face masks. Dedicated flying squads have been appointed to monitor the situation and those violating the rules will be fined immediately."
She further added that, "585 lorry drivers are engaged in transporting vegetables from the Nilgiris to other parts of the State. Out of the 43 lorry drivers who returned to the Nilgiris from Koyambeduare being subjected to COVID-19 testing. The results are yet to arrive. No outsiders are allowed into Ooty and those who travel for important/emergency reasons will be quarantined for 14 days."
"Only people seeking permission to travel to funerals, deaths and medical reasons can apply online to obtain travel passes.The public must identify and inform the administration regarding anyone entering Ooty without the consent of the government. The borders of the district will be monitored vigilantly", she warned.