COIMBATORE: With Kerala reporting 30,077 fresh Covid-19 cases on Thursday, the health department has intensified checks at border districts. Only people with emergency reasons are being allowed to enter Tamil Nadu. Travellers from Kerala must produce either fully-vaccinated certificate or RT-PCR negative certificate and register for an e-pass.
In Coimbatore, vigil at 13 checkpoints in the district has been intensified. Sources said health workers and other government staff at the checkpoints, particularly in Walayar and Velanthavalam, are recording contact numbers of travellers. “By collecting details of the travellers, we can ensure they had returned to Kerala within the stipulated period. The staff would contact them to check whether they had returned,” said sources.
“Checks are strict in Walayar and Velenthavalam as neighbouring Palakkad continues to report over 2,000 new cases daily. Travellers who do not possess documents like e-pass, Covid vaccine certificate or RT-PCR test report are being turned away,” sources added.
Meanwhile, a health team has been deployed at Coimbatore Railway Station to screen passengers from Kerala. Samples are being collected from passengers who arrive without necessary certificates before being sent back.
Vehicle checks in Tenkasi
Similar procedures are in place at Puliyarai. “We vaccinated almost all the truck drivers transporting vegetables to Kerala at a special camp in Puliyarai. After we intensified vehicle checks and disinfection process, the number of trucks arriving from Kerala has come down from 600 to 100 per day,” said Dr Anitha, Deputy Director (Health Services), Tenkasi.
Velankanni imposes pilgrim ban
With Velankanni being a hugely popular pilgrimage centre, the Nagapattinam district administration has imposed a ban on entry of all pilgrims ahead of the annual festival of Mother Mary, which begins on August 29. All pilgrims staying in lodges at Velankanni have been evacuated. Several thousand pilgrims from Kerala visit the town for the festival
Fishing harbours on alert
Several trucks carrying seafood ply to Kerala from the fishing harbours of Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai districts every day, as fish caught in the eastern coast has a good market in Kerala. “Our truck drivers are vaccinated. They undergo the necessary screening at the borders while entering and exiting Kerala,” said S Mohandas, a fisher-representative from Nagapattinam