Chennai, May 10 (UNI) The two-week complete and total lockdown,
with some relaxations came into force in Tamil Nadu from Monday
morning in view of the surge in daily corona cases.
Chief Minister M K Stalin, who assumed office on May seven and
held a review meeting with all the district collectors and medical
experts on the prevailing COVID pandemic, announced the total
lockdown from 4.00 AM today till 4.00 AM on May 24 to flatten the
rising COVID curve.
In a bid to ensure that people stock enough essentials ahead
of the lockdown, the State government had allowed opening of
all shops without any restrictions across the State from 0600 hrs
to 2100 hrs on Saturday and yesterday.
As the lockdown came into force, all inter-district and intra-district
transport services, including public and private buses, autos, call
taxis, cabs were off the roads, except for essential travel like
weddings, funerals, job interviews and hospitals on production
of relevant documents.
All the state-owned TASMAC liquor shops remained closed from
today for two weeks, prompting the tipplers to store enough stock
as the sales crossed more than Rs 400 crores across the State
during the weekends.
While all shops except vegetables,grocery and provision
stores and meat stalls, remain closed, non air-conditioned
provision and grocery stores and meat stalls remained open
till 12 noon with a maximum of 50 per cent customers.
Except for those involved in food delivery, other e-commerce
firms were not allowed to function, while hotels and restaurants
are allowed to function for takeaway services only in the stipulated
time.
Tea shops also remained open but only till 12 noon.
Beauty parlours, salons and spas, besides all social, political,
sports, recreational, educational and cultural events are not
allowed during the lockdown.
Barring essential departments such as offices in the Secretariat,
health, revenue, police, fire service, district administration, drinking
water and electricity, all other government offices remained shut.
Except for continuous process industries, all private offices,
including IT and ITES firms, too were remain closed and allowed
to work from home.
All temples and places of worship, beaches and tourist spots
like the Ooty in Nilgiris district and Kodaikanal are also made
out of bounds for public from today.
As per the announcement made by Mr Stalin, Amma canteens, which
offer food at subsidised rates, continued to function along with pavement
shops selling flowers and vegetables till 12 noon.
Ration shops too functioned from 0800 hrs to 1200 noon, as that
of organisations caring for the elderly and differently-abled.
Apart from courts, the ongoing construction in situ construction activities
also allowed to function.
Petrol and diesel bunks functioned as usual along with banks, ATMs
and bank-related transport with 50 per cent staff.
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