Chennai: Amid rapid increase in the corona positive cases, the Tamilnadu government on Sunday announced stricter restrictions that included night curfew from 20 April and total lockdown on all Sundays, till further orders.
The government’s fresh restrictions to prevent spread of the virus, came hours after Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaiswami held a meeting with Chief Secretary Rajeev Ranjan, Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan and senior officials of the government.
An official release said night curfew will be imposed all over the State from 10 pm to 4 am and total lockdown will be in force on all Sundays.
All public, private, taxis, autos, cab services, inter-State and inter-district bus services will also be not allowed during the curfew period.
However, cabs, autos and taxis will be allowed for emergency medical services, airports and railway stations during the curfew period, apart from essential services like, milk and newspaper distributions, hospital, medical laboratories, pharmacies, ambulances, hearse vans, freight vehicles, print and TV media and petrol bunks.
The government also announced that those employed in continuous process industries and those manufacturing essential items are allowed to function during the curfew and their staff are also allowed to go for night duty.
Announcing complete lockdown on all Sundays, the goverment all fish, meat, vegetable markets, cinema theatres, commercial complexs all shops will remain closed and action will be taken as per law against those violating it.
However, essential services were allowed and hotels were allowed to function from 0600 hrs to 1000 hrs, 1200 hrs to 1500 hrs and 1800 hrs to 2100 hrs for takeaways only, besides e-commerce platforms like swiggy, zomato.
However, there will be no ban on allowing a maximum of 100 people for weddings and 50 for funerals during the total lockdown period.
The government also banned tourists from visiting tourists places like Kodaikanal, Yercaud, ooty on all days, besides banning public entry in all beaches, parks, zoological parks and monuments coming under the Archaeology department and museums.
IT companies should ensure that minimum 50 per cent of its staff were allowed to work from home.
All tea shops, hotels, restaurants, vegetable shops and grocery shops, shopping malls , jewellery and textile showrooms and big format stores were allowed to function till 2100 hrs with 50 per cent customers.
While consecration of temples already fixed were allowed, fresh events will not be allowed in the present pandemic situation.