Tamil Nadu extends weekend lockdown & night curfew until further orders amid COVID crisis

The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday extended the night curfew and complete lockdown on Sundays along with certain restrictions to contain COVID-19 until further orders. For instance, the night curfew shall remain in force from 10 pm to 4 am. The movement of officials and party functionaries in connection with the counting of votes for the TN Assembly election and Kanniyakumari Lok Sabha by-election on May 2 is exempted from the restrictions imposed on Sundays. Currently, there are 1,10,308 active novel coronavirus cases in Tamil Nadu while 10,06,033 patients have been discharged and 13,826 deaths have been reported. 

Here are COVID-19 curbs in TN: 

• Night curfew from 10 pm to 4 am in which vehicles will be allowed to ply only for medical services, essential services and to ferry passengers from Rail/Air
• Complete lockdown on Sundays where vegetable shops, meat/chicken shops and all other shops will be closed
• Essential services, Chennai Metro Rail and marriage functions with a maximum of 50 persons will be allowed
• During the Sunday lockdown, parcel food shall be permitted in restaurants from 6 am to 10 am, noon to 3 pm and 6 pm to 9 pm
• Fish markets, fish stalls, chicken stalls and other chicken stalls shall remain closed on Saturdays
• 'Kudamuzhukku' shall be permitted without the participation of the general public
• Fruits and vegetable retail outlets in the Koyambedu market complex shall be prohibited
• All cinemas, multiplexes, theatres, gyms, recreation clubs, bars, auditoriums, meeting halls will remain closed
• Shops with a size of 3000 sq. ft. and above, shopping complex, malls will not be permitted to operate
• Beauty parlours, spas, salons, barber shops in all corporations shall not be operational
• All religious places will be closed for visitors
• Local and outstation tourists shall not be permitted in all tourist places
• Gardens, zoological parks, museums and monuments will remain closed
• Industries shall be allowed to function with SOPs
• Public and private intra-state bus transport will be allowed with the number of passengers restricted to the seating capacity
• Only takeaway service will be permitted in restaurants
• Entertainment parks will be allowed to function with 50% capacity
• All functions shall be permitted in closed spaces with a maximum of 50% of the hall capacity with a ceiling of 200 persons
• Professors of colleges and universities shall be allowed to conduct online classes from home
• While playgrounds can remain open for sporting competitions, swimming pools shall be permitted for sports training
• 50% of employees working in the IT sector shall compulsorily work from home