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 traveling 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.
