CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has decided to invoke Section 144 in Tamil Nnadu from 6 pm tomorrow to March 31st. The decision has been taken in order to contain the pandemic, by restricting the movement of the public. All the borders across the states will be closed.

Meanwhile, as many as 3,000 homes are under the quarantine watch for coronavirus in greater Chennai Corporation limits and such houses will be stamped with stickers to ensure social distancing, the city civic body said today.

“All home quarantines where suspected people are residing, stickers will be pasted for alerting others and to ensure social distancing, the corporation said in a release. The Corporation, the biggest in Tamil Nadu, said “right now 3,000 homes are under quarantine watch in greater Chennai Corporation limits.”

On the stamping of stickers, it said this was a “time of emergency and it has to be taken in the right spirit,” in an apparent appeal to people to cooperate.

Punjab government today imposed a curfew to combat coronavirus, making it the first state to take the drastic action after finding that many people were ignoring the lockdown ordered by it. The authorities are enforcing a state-wide lockdown which came into effect on Monday and will last till 31 March.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced the curfew as people were defying the lockdown, officials said.