Puducherry observes complete lockdown to combat COVID-19

Streets in Puducherry on Tuesday wore a deserted look and shops and establishments remained closed as the Union Territory observed a complete lockdown in view of the surge in COVID-19 cases.

This comes a day after Chief Minister V Narayanasamy announced the trial curfew in the UT.

"We have declared a full curfew in Puducherry for tomorrow (Tuesday) to control the spread of corona. All shops will remain closed. Only pharmacies, milk booths, and compes that supply gas cylinders will operate. This will prevent the public from gathering and has the potential to reduce the risk of infection," an order from the Chief Minister's Office said.

A total of nine deaths and 370 new COVID-19 cases were reported from Puducherry on Tuesday, taking the total number of cases to 8,396, the Health Department of the Union Territory informed.

The total figure includes 4,909 recoveries and 3,364 active cases. So far, 123 lives have been claimed by the virus.

( With inputs from ANI )