There was confusion on the roads of the capital city on Monday when motorists took their vehicles out under the impression that the lockdown restrictions have been partially lifted.
Lack of clarity and prior notice by the district authorities contributed to the chaos. The situation threatened to undo the restraint shown by the State in containing the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the public was under the impression that the entire district was categorised as an Orange-B zone with partial relaxation of restrictions, many people remained oblivious to the late-night declaration of the Corporation limits as a hotspot, virtually turning the region into a Red zone where lockdown restrictions will be implemented in its entirety.
Odd-even scheme
The odd-even scheme that was planned by the police to streamline traffic was also rendered irrelevant with the restrictions being reinstated. Varkala municipality and Malayinkeezhu grama panchayat are the other hotspots identified by the Health Department in the district.
During the day, police struggled to regulate the long queues of vehicles gathered before the entry and exit points of the city limits including Pappanamcode and Vazhayila. Many motorists, including government employees, were turned back as policemen tried to restore calm with some people entering into arguments.
Soon, additional teams had to be deployed to control the traffic. Drones were also brought in at various spots to detect lockdown violations.
District Police Chief (Thiruvananthapuram City) Balram Kumar Upadhyay has clarified that the restrictions will continue and travel will only be permitted for emergency purposes. The odd-even scheme, announced in other areas, has yet to come into effect in the city.
Permit for travel
The public will be permitted to travel only to get food materials and other essential commodities, purchasing medicines, and to seek medical care in hospitals. Passes will be issued only for funerals and other unavoidable purposes. Stringent checks will continue in the borders of the city. Entry will be permitted only through six points viz., Maruthoor, Vetturoad, Vazhayila, Kundamankadavu, Pravachambalam and Mukkola.
The City police registered cases against 118 people for violating lockdown norms. As many as 93 vehicles have also been confiscated. The Thiruvananthapuram Rural police also registered 358 cases, arrested 356 people, and seized 302 vehicles.
