High court proposes May 1, 2 lockdown in Tamil Nadu, Pondy

High court proposes May 1, 2 lockdown in Tamil Nadu, Pondy

Sureshkumar.K@timesgroup.com

Chennai:27.04.2021

Why not two-day lock down – on May 1 and 2 --during counting of votes in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, asked Madras high court on Monday.

Noting that movement of vehicles needed only for the purpose of counting of votes and emergency services be allowed, the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said: “If an appropriate announcement in such regard is made well in advance, say by April 28, ordinary citizen may have sufficient notice and may complete the weekend purchases by Friday and abide by the restricted movement norms as was evident in course of the lockdown observed on Sunday, April 25.”

The court then directed the governments to take measures to indicate basic norms not exceeding eight or 10 bullet points that may be circulated over the electronic media or published by the print media seeking to guide citizens, instead of citizens panicking and rushing to hospitals.

“It would also do well for the state and the Union territory to completely eschew the VIP-culture and ensure that facilities are available to citizens without consideration of status or the like of the patient or their relatives,” the court added.

“The situation in both the state and the union territory will continue to be monitored by this bench during the next several weeks, irrespective of the court going into summer vacation from May 1,” the court said.

The bench made the observations while hearing a suo motu plea initiated by the court to check the preparedness of the state and the availability of Remdesivir, oxygen, ventilators and beds required to handle the second wave of Covid-19.

As to the suggestion made for restricting vehicular and other movement, reducing trade and commerce and requiring testing to be mandatorily introduced at airports and at entry points into the s, the bench said, “…a protocol in such regard must immediately be put in place.”

The court further added that the prices of drugs, bedrates charged for admission into private hospitals and the prices of oxygen and vaccination should be monitored and controlled by the state government.

The court said if an appropriate announcement is made well in advance citizens may complete purchases by Friday and abide by restricted movement norms