Total lockdown keeps city residents indoors

Coimbatore: The total lockdown on Sunday saw most of the arterial roads and streets in the city completely deserted.
All shops and commercial establishments were closed and activities came to a halt, barring a very rare two-wheeler or a pedestrian. To a large extent, residents stayed indoors.
Main areas in the city limits, such as Oppanakkara Street, Ukkadam, Vada Kovai, Crosscut Road, Flower Market and R S Puram were empty. Volunteers and social workers provided food packets to homeless people.
Pharmacies were open but didn’t see much business. A Karuppaiah, president of the Coimbatore Chemists and Druggists Association, said 600 pharmacies in the city limits were open. “As we had to be available for people in emergency medical needs, we opened our shops. But as there were no people outside, we had less than 20% business,” he said.
Police personnel were present at all junctions and traffic signals in the city, and were seen asking those who ventured out to return home, unless they had to travel for absolutely essential work.
As per police sources, as many as 1,200 police personnel were deployed in the city limits to ensure that people did not violate the lockdown. Security at the 25 checkposts in the district was tightened.
Those who ventured out in the morning for walk said they were asked to go back by police personnel. A Peelamedu resident said that when she and others from her street went out for morning walk as usual, cops asked them to return. When he ventured out in the morning to buy newspapers, police personnel stationed on the Thadagam Road asked him to go back, said a Venkatapuram resident.
In Tirupur district, police filed 61 cases against those who violated the lockdown rules and seized 57 vehicles.