Tamil Nadu Extends Lockdown Till July 5

The Tamil Nadu government on Friday extended the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown in the state till July 5, with several relaxations in Chennai and its neighbouring districts.

Continuing with the tier system which was announced last week, the Tamil Nadu government has allowed shopping malls, jewellery stores, textile showrooms and places of worship to be allowed to open in Chennai, Chengalpet, Kanchipuram, and Tiruvallur, which have been put under the Tier-3 category.

Things Allowed During Lockdown in Tamil Nadu:

-While textile and jewellery showrooms can function till 7 pm with 50 percent capacity, malls will be allowed to remain open from 9 am to 7 pm with no air-conditioning.

-While private establishments can function with a 100 per cent workforce, beaches will be open for walkers from 5 am to 9 pm.

-Cinema halls and restaurants will remain shut, with only takeaway and delivery services allowed.

-Temples, churches and mosques can also reopen.

The state government classified the districts into three categories based on the caseload in recent days while announcing certain relaxations.

Teir-1 comprises 11 districts where no additional relaxations have been provided, as the active caseload continues to remain high. This includes Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Thiruppur, Erode, Salem, Karur, Namakkal, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai.

In 23 districts under category 2–Ariyalur, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri, Dindigul, Kallakurichi, Kanyakumari, Krishnagiri, Madurai, Perambalur, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram, Ranipet, Sivagangai, Theni, Tenkasi, Thirunelveli, Thirupathur, Thiruvannamalai, Thuthukudi, Trichy, Villupuram, Vellore, and Virudhunagar–additional relaxations have been provided.

Initially, the lockdown, which came into effect on May 10, was in force for two weeks but was extended several times. On June 20, it was extended till June 28.

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