Chennai: As many as 10,000 police personnel have been deployed in Chennai to monitor the New Year celebrations in view of Covid-19.
Sources said that all major roads to Marina and other beaches will be closed. Public celebrations in restaurants, clubs, pubs, resorts, beach resorts, beaches have been banned across Tamilnadu on both 31 December 2020 and 1 January 2021.
However, there is no curfew in Tamilnadu. Restaurants, pub, clubs and resorts will remain open and function normally, adhering to Covid-19 guidelines. Greater Chennai Police Commissioner Mahesh Kumar Agarwal has requested the public to cooperate with the measures taken by the government and police.
“We have identified 300 spots in the city where there are chances of people gathering in large numbers. Checkposts have been installed at these points to ensure that the places do not get crowded,” he said.
He further said that people should celebrate New Year from their houses. “Strict action will be taken against those who involve in bike racing. All flyovers in Chennai will be closed on the night of 31 December,” he added.
Mahesh also said that any vehicle that breach the barricade to enter the beach road will be seized.
Police also laid down rules regarding fire safety and asked hoteliers to explain to all visitors about using emergency exits in case of an emergency.
The facilities should also have clear signs directing people to emergency exits. Apart from this, hotels have been asked to set up CCTV cameras to monitor parties and other events.
They have also been asked to shut their swimming pools. It may be noted that Tamilnadu has 8,615 active cases of coronavirus and 945 patients tested positive on Wednesday. The State has so far logged over 8.17 lakh cases.