Tamil Nadu introduces new restrictions to curb COVID surge, to come into effect from May 6

Embattled by the deadly coronavirus contagion, the Tamil Nadu administration has introduced new restrictions which would be in place from May 6 till May 20. The decision came following a meeting between state CM candidate MK Stalin and government officials on how to curb the spread of COVID-19. While night curfew is stated to continue, many public events have been banned.

New guidelines for Tamil Nadu

Starting Wednesday, all government and private offices have been ordered to cut their employees percentage (working from the office) into half.  Additionally, all social-cultural, educational and entertainment events will be prohibited and stadiums (both indoor and outdoor) would be shut. The number of people allowed to attend a funeral has also been reduced from 25 to 20.

The new regulations also require all shopping complexes, malls to be shut down in addition to shops with area more than 3000 SQ.  The list of containment zones, which included only Corporation and Municipal Corporation, till now has been extended to also include spas in rural areas. Public transport, which includes buses, metros and trains, can operate only with 50 per cent of their capacity.

Grocery shops and stand-alone grocery shops, vegetable shops can function till 12 noon. However, dine in at all restaurants have been banned. According to the government decree, only takeaway and delivery, with or without food aggregators, would be allowed in restaurants and tea shops. Additionally, indoor arenas, community and political meetings, sports, educational, cultural events have been banned.

While night curfew is stated to continue, essential services like milk, newspapers, hospital, pharmacy, ambulances and petrol pumps have been allowed to function throughout the night.

COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu has witnessed a major resurgence in COVID caseload, reporting 20,768 cases and 153 deaths on May 3, as per data by MoHFW. As of now, the south Indian state has registered a total of 207112 cases out of which 14346 have lost their lives. At present, Tamil Nadu has 120444 active cases of COVID-19

Image Credits: AP