Puducherry govt to supply essentials at door steps: CM

Puducherry government has drawn up plans to supply essentials, including provisions and vegetables, at the door steps of people to avoid them coming out during the three-week lockdown to check spread of coronavirus, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy said on Thursday. Stressing that isolation was the only solution to take on the spread of the infection, he said that all necessary steps had been taken to strengthen the infrastructure facilities in the hospitals in the union territory to rise to any exigency.

He urged the people to keep indoors without venturing out during the current lockdown. Curfew has been imposed in Puducherry to prevent the spread of coronavirus, which has affected one person in Mahe, an enclave of the union territory in Kerala. Narayanasamy told reporters that he reviewed the steps taken in Karaikal to keep the spread of the infection at bay.

"The government has drawn up plans to supply at the door steps of the people provisions, milk and vegetables` to prevent the peoplefrom coming out of their homes for shopping," he said. Except the shops dealing in vegetables, provisions, milk and fruits all other establishments would remain closed during the 21-day long lockdown in Puducherry and outlying regions of Mahe, Yanam and Karaikal, he added.

"The Indira Gandhi Government Medical college hospital in Puducherrywith a strength of more than 700 beds is earmarked asthe exclusive facility to take care of the COVID-19 hit patients in Puducherry whenever need arose," he said. District Collector T Arun told presspersons that FIRs had been registered against 140 people for violating the lockdown by carrying on business in non-essential commodities or for "loitering unnecessarily on roads".

Senior Superintendent of Police Rahul Alwal, in-charge of law and order, said police would seize vehicles, including two-wheelers, if they were found being used for no justifiable reason. Director of Health and Family Welfare Services Mohan Kumar asked the medical shops not to sell medicines and drugs without prescription by doctors.

A report from Karaikal said the Chief Minister visited the government hospital there and inspected the isolation ward. Later speaking to reporters, Narayanasamy said social distancing was being enforced in the UT strictly.

Officials have been directed to enforce it in villages too,where the awareness level was a bit low, he said. Foreign nationals who had visited the Auroville township in Puducherry have all gone back to their countries. About 500 people who came in contact with them during their stay, have been tested negative and have been home quarantined as a precautionary measure, Narayanasamy said.

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