Kerala on Friday moved to facilitate the rapid movement of freight, including perishables, from neighbouring States without loosening internal border disease surveillance against the backdrop of the strict vigil across the border following the COVID-19 threat.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a videoconferencing, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to enforce free movement of essential commodities such as food, fuel and medicine across the State borders.
On Friday, Tamil Nadu officials started screening all passengers entering the State from Palakkad. Long queues of vehicles were witnessed at the border as health officials went about screening the passengers.
There were uncertainties on Friday afternoon as news spread that Tamil Nadu closed the borders with Kerala. However, Palakkad District Collector D. Balamurali, after contacting his counterpart in Coimbatore, said the borders would not be closed.
He said people should restrict their movements in view of the COVID-19 scare.
In Kasaragod
To curb the spread of coronavirus, the Kasaragod administration decided to close 12 roads bordering Karnataka, while implementing stringent precautionary measures on five other border roads from Friday. The decision was taken by Collector D. Sajith Babu at a review meeting here.
In Wayanad
The Wayanad administration on Friday closed the check-posts at Bavali and Tholpetty on the Kerala-Karnataka border for all travellers, except emergency and long-distance travellers.
Moreover, Wayanad Collector Adeela Abdulla directed the public to avoid travel through Kodagu district.
Meanwhile, the Nilgiris Collector informed Ms. Abdulla that only emergency travel would be allowed across the districts from Saturday.
Ms. Abdulla said she had asked her counterpart in Chamarajanagar district in Karnataka to ease restrictions in public transport through the Muthanga check-post till March 22.
As many as 10 check-posts, five check-posts each on the Kerala-Karnataka and Kerala-Tamil Nadu borders, are functioning in the border areas.
In Idukki
The Collector of Theni and the Superintendent of Police visited the check-posts bordering Idukki and asked officials to only allow emergency travel across the districts. Idukki Collector H. Dinesan said the restrictions were in force for the past two days and it was being strictly enforced from Friday.
The border was not being closed but strict curbs were being imposed on vehicle traffic, he said.
Idukki administration also imposed curbs on travel from across the border, the Collector added.
In Kollam
Tamil Nadu has intensified screenings at the Aryankavu check-post, discouraging the entry of private vehicles.
Though surveillance measures were already in place, the authorities strengthened monitoring in the past two days and on Friday morning Kerala-registered vehicles were stopped at Puliyarai on the Tenkasi-Kollam border.
No blanket ban
“There is no blanket ban on entering Kerala or Tamil Nadu. KSRTC services are operating as usual and the vehicles carrying goods from both States are also moving without any problems. Only unnecessary private services carrying tourists or pilgrims have been asked to go back,” said an official.
