I pledge to support the #Janata Curfew and participate in #Seva Aabhar

Black pepper is one of the most commonly used spices worldwide. It’s made by grinding peppercorns, which are dried berries from the vine Piper nigrum. It has a sharp and mildly spicy flavor that goes well with many dishes. But black pepper is more than just a kitchen staple. It has been deemed the “king of spices” and used in ancient Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years due to its high concentration of potent, beneficial plant compounds.

In neighbouring Kochi, the terminal market  has started witnessing more sellers as direct dispatch from primary markets in the neighbouring State appears to have been stopped following the closing down of borders to block passenger movement due to coronavirus threat. The emerging situation has created a panic in the primary markets in Kerala which witnessed an arrival of 42 tonnes. However, the market was down by Re.1 per kg, which realised an average price of Rs.300 for ungarbled varieties.

Tamil Nadu will effectively shut its border with Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh from Saturday morning (21.3.2020) till March 31 by imposing a ban on “non-essential” vehicular traffic from the neighbouring states to prevent the outbreak of Coronavirus.  In a press release issued on Friday, the state government said that this ban will not be applicable to vehicles transporting milk, vegetables, petrol, diesel, medicines and gas cylinders. The ban will not be applicable for ambulances. “Other goods vehicles, light commercial vehicles with people travelling for unavoidable reasons like deaths will also be allowed,” read the press statement. Public transport will function in a limited manner for the essential movement of the general public, said the release. Reports of no inward truck movement disrupted the pepper transportation outside the State.

To those critics and negativists questioning the wisdom of self-imposed ‘Janata Curfew” – it is not the illiterates but the stupidity of so called literates that is causing trouble.  Some people were struggling in foreign countries, where the virus was spreading and people were dying ! ~ the Indian Govt with great difficulty ensured their return and on return these people raise their voice against safety measures in home soil and go missing ! without following health quarantine. These people are causing havoc to the society, and should be punished.

Back home the duo of Chief Minister of the State Mr Edappadi K Palaniswami and Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar are doing commendable work.  The Health Minister is everywhere – visiting Govt hospital, hospital at Tambaram, visiting Chennai Central station and many other places, personally checking and ensuring that measures are in place.

Miles away, in UK, Police made their first arrest linked to coronavirus quarantining after a 26-year-old man was held for allegedly failing to self-isolate. Officers on the Isle of Man held the suspect last night - 48 hours after the British Crown dependency passed emergency legislation to tackle the virus on the island in the Irish Sea. Police have been instructed to arrest anyone who arrives on the island who fails to isolate for a 14-day period, even if they show no symptoms. The arrested man, who has not been named, is the first Briton to be arrested for breaching strict quarantine rules which have been imposed in an effort to stop the spread of the killer virus. 

He is now facing a fine of up to £10,000 and could be jailed for three months if found guilty and will appear in court in Douglas today after being taken into custody. The suspect arrived on a ferry from Merseyside to the crown dependency, which is not part of the UK but does belong to the Queen and is part of the British Isles. The other two islands off the UK coast with the same special status are Jersey and Guernsey. The arrest came as millions of people went into self-isolation or are working from home as 144 people in the UK have now died and coronavirus infected thousands more.

There is a growing row over whether the Government should already have shut down cafes, pubs and nightclubs, especially in London, where people have ignoring warnings not to socialise to stem the spread of the virus. Police on mainland Britain will be given powers to arrest and isolate people to protect public health, under emergency coronavirus legislation launched by the Government yesterday - but Health Secretary Matt Hancock has suggested it should be the last resort. But the Coronavirus Bill that will be rushed through Parliament next week says that people could fined £1,000 if they refuse to be tested for coronavirus - and people could be arrested and held in self-isolation for up to a month if if they risk infecting the public.

As Britain faces its biggest threat to society since the Second World War, it has emerged that around 1.4 million vulnerable people in Britain will be told to self-isolate from Monday - Police could have to power to hold someone in isolation for up to a month to protect the public. The Chief Minister for the Isle of Man Howard Quayle declared emergency measures on Monday in light of the global Coronavirus pandemic. Mr Quayle said: 'We are taking action to protect our residents and to ensure life can continue as normal as possible during this unpredictable time. 'We are advising against all non-essential travel off the Island, and the measures being introduced from tomorrow are aimed at minimising the risk of those arriving in the Island infecting our population.'

When similar of even better things are happening in our own country before the pandemic hits demonic proportions, it is our duty to rigorously follow all safety measures and follow all instructions as planned by the State and Central Governments.

I pledge to support the #Janata Curfew and participate in #Seva Aabhar in appreciating the services of those involved in protecting us.

Jai Hind.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

21.3.2020.