Tripura to be under lockdown from 2pm on Tuesday till Mar 31

Tripura will be placed under a lockdown from 2 pm on Tuesday till March 31 in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb announced.

Public transport would be not permitted during this period and shops, commercial establishments, offices, factories and workshops will remain closed, he told a press conference on Monday.

Any gathering in public places is banned as prohibitory order under 144 CrPC has already been imposed.

The move came soon after a central advisory, even though the state has reported no positive COVID-19 case.

The lockdown termed as Complete Safety Restrictions has been notified under section 2,3 and 4 of the Endemic Disease Act 1897 for prevention and containment of the coronavirus, according to an official notification.

Any person found violating these restrictions shall be deemed to have committed a punishable offence, it said.

The public distribution system has been exempted from the lockdown and there would not be any restrictions on selling, storage and transportation of groceries, vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, bread and milk.

Medicine shops, optical stores, pharmaceutical manufacturing and transportation will operate normally, as per the notification.

Banks and ATMs have been exempted from the restriction, besides petrol pumps, LPG gas, oil agencies, their godowns and transportation have also been excluded.

There will be exemption to all kinds of transport to and from hospitals, the airport, railway stations and bus stand terminals.

Deb said the state has sufficient food stocks at present and is considering to grant additional ration benefits to 5.86 lakh Antodaya Annapurna Yojana (AAY) beneficiaries under the public distribution scheme.

He said Tripura has got rice buffer stock that would last 76 days, 52 days stock of wheat, sugar stocks for 15 days, salt stocks for 24 days, petrol stocks to last for 8 days and "sufficient" stocks of LPG.

The chief minister said border curfew has been imposed along the state's 856-km-long international boundary with Bangladesh and interstate bus services were stopped to avoid spreading of the virus.

Deb further informed that the state has asked the Centre to provide infrared thermal scanners, N-95 masks and disinfectants.

He said, 256 people are currently under quarantine in the state.