Chennai: Sticking to its calibrated approach in lifting Covid restrictions, the Tamilnadu government on Friday night extended the lockdown by a week, till 12 July, while providing several relaxations in curbs across all districts.
E-pass/e-registration will be revoked for inter-district travel. But inter-State private and bus transport, international air-travel except the ones allowed by the Union home ministry, cinema theatres, bars, swimming pools, social and political meetings where the public participate, entertainment, sports and cultural events, schools and colleges and zoological parks remain prohibited.
Considering factors like fall in coronavirus cases and the state’s economy, relaxations would be the same across Tamilnadu from Monday, the government said.
“Considering the livelihood and essential needs of the people, and the economy of the state, all the districts will have uniform relaxations from 5 July. The previous relaxations will continue to remain in the rest of the state, except the containment zones. All shops that were permitted earlier to operate until 7pm will be allowed till 8 pm,” Chief Minister M K Stalin said in a statement.
Gymnasiums, which got a go-ahead to function in Group-II and Group-III districts earlier, can now open in all districts.
Offices in the IT and IT-enabled sectors can now function with 50 per cent attendance. Buses have been given the nod to operate within districts and between districts with the number of passengers capped at 50 per cent of seat capacity. Use of air-conditioners in buses remains prohibited.
The business to business exhibitions will be permitted and invitees will alone be permitted. The organisers and the staff members of the outlets should take either two doses of vaccine or RT-PCR test.
Earlier, eleven districts, seven in the western region including Coimbatore and four in Cauvery delta areas like Thanjavur had relatively more restrictions, while four districts including Chennai and its three nearby districts had higher relaxations.