Police and Health Department squads have intensified vigil around fishing harbours in Kozhikode following complaints from local residents that fishers from other States were enjoying unrestricted entry into harbours, derailing safety arrangements taken to fight COVID-19.
One such incident, in which a group of fishermen who were reportedly brought to Chaliyam from Tamil Nadu by local boat owners, had been brought to the notice of the authorities. Officials said the labourers who were found staying in a rented building near the Chaliyam fish landing centre had been asked to follow quarantine rules.
According to the complainants, there were about 12 such persons and they tried to roam around the place, throwing quarantine rules to the wind. The complainants also alleged that the labourers were from hotspots in Tamil Nadu. However, the Health Department authorities did not disclose the details of the workers.
The increasing rush in Koyilandy harbour, which emerged as a main trade point with the closure of many other harbours following the lockdown, too has been brought to the notice of the Health Department and the police.
Boat owners from the area said small-scale and large-scale buyers were carelessly gathering at the spot without following physical-distancing norms. There were also people who came to the spot without wearing masks and washing their hands, they said.
Meanwhile, the Koyilandy police said they had taken steps to prevent the entry of buyers and sellers from containment zones. They said only people from Koyilandy taluk would be permitted to enter the harbour area.
The office of the Fisheries Deputy Director also informed that the entry of fish wholesale and retail traders from other taluks or containment zones to the harbour would not be permitted. Those defy the orders would be booked under the Epidemic Diseases Act, officials said.