March 22, 2020
Coimbatore : Responding to the appeal by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi for ‘Janata Curfew,’ people remained indoors, with all shops, commercial establishments downing their shutters and vehicles keeping indoors, in the three major commercial and tourist districts of Western Region of Tamil Nadu, Sunday.
The main thoroughfares and highway in Coimbatore, Nilgiris and Tirupur districts wore a deserted look, following the appeal by the Centre and Tamil Nadu Government, who had already closed the borders with Kerala and Karnataka, to distance away from Coronavirus.
Busy commercial centres in Gandhipuram, Oppanakka Street, Ukkadam, Cross Cut Road and all the bus stands in these areas in Coimbatore also wore a deserted look.
Similarly, the shop keepers in the rural areas like Mettupalayam and Annur downed their shutter and vehicle remained indoors.
Even as major fish market in the city also closed, the vendors of milk, newspapers and other door delivery agents finished their work before 7 AM, with places of worship remained closed for devotees.
The Nilgiris distrtict, with major tourist destinations like Botanical Gardens and Sims park also wore a deserted took, with administration
stopping vehicular traffic to the district from Kerala and Karnataka.
In Tirupur, a major knitwear and hosiery hub of India, all the producing units were closed and more than five lakh labourers, majority of them migrant, remained indoors.
In tune with the appeal, nearly three lakh power looms in both Coimbatore and Tirupur district remained silent and will only start production from April five.