Lockdown: TN announces timings for food delivery apps, petrol bunks

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami announced on Friday new regulations to ensure uninterrupted supply of essentials to citizens of the state during the 21-day national lockdown. This includes timings for grocery shopping as well ordering food from delivery apps. The Chief Minister held a meeting with senior officials from various departments to discuss the implementation of the lockdown and the availability of essential services to people in the state. In a circular issued on Friday, the Chief Minister listed the following orders that will come into effect from Sunday, March 29:

1. Trucks bringing fruits and vegetables from other states to wholesale market complexes like Koyembedu will have to finish their unloading between 6.00 pm and 6.00 am.
2. Koyambedu market and other vegetable markets, grocery shops can be open only between 6.00 am and 2.30 pm daily
3. Petrol bunks can also be open only between 6.00 am and 2.30 pm with exceptions made for emergency service vehicles like ambulances and state government vehicles.
4. Pharmacies and hotels (only delivery services) can be open all-day
5. The elderly and those who cannot cook for themselves can avail online food delivery services such as Swiggy, Zomato, Uber Eats during a specified window - breakfast: 7.00 am and 9.00 am, lunch: 12.00 pm and 2.30 pm, dinner: 6.00 pm and 9.00 pm. Delivery personnel will have to obtain ID cards from the police and their health will have to be monitored and checked by their employers.
6. People are requested to not deliver cooked food to the homeless and the needy. Instead, they can contribute dry rations and groceries to Chennai Corporation or to district Collectors.
7. Funeral services are exempted but not more than 20 persons can gather.
8. Migrant workers stranded in Tamil Nadu from other states will have to be accommodated by their respective companies.
9. The healthcare control centres and other control centres in the districts will be attached to healthcare department’s emergency control centre. The Control Centre in the Secretariat will be made into the Main Control Centre for this purpose.
10. All those who returned from abroad after March 15 and those who have been in contact with foreign returnees will have to self-isolate themselves