COVID-19: Tamil Nadu extends lockdown till June 21, announces more relaxations

The MK Stalin-led DMK government has allowed the Tasmac shops to operate between 10 AM and 5 PM in 27 districts across the state.

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CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Friday extended the COVID-19 lockdown for a week, till June 21, while announcing more relaxations in 27 districts of the state.

According to reports, the MK Stalin-led DMK government has allowed the state-run Tasmac shops to operate between 10 AM and 5 PM in the 27 districts.

Tamil Nadu lockdown extended till June 21 with more relaxations; government-run Tasmac shops allowed operate between 10 am & 5pm in 27 districts of the State — ANI (@ANI) June 11, 2021

The decision to extend the lockdown was taken after reviewing the COVID-19 situation in the state. The coronavirus cases are currently declining in the state.

Salons and spas have also been allowed to reopen, and function till 5 PM in the 27 districts. However, they are barred from using air-conditioning inside their premises and are permitted to operate only at 50 percent capacity.

Parks would also reopen for limited hours in the districts where the norms have been eased. As per the order, the parks can be used for morning walks between 6 AM and 9 AM.

Tamil Nadu was among the states to be hit late by the second COVID-19 wave. While the cases plateaued in most states by mid-May, the state continued to report a surge till the end of last month.

Tamil Nadu has registered 16,813 new COVID-19 infections, including two returnees from Andhra Pradesh, pushing the overall caseload to 23,08,838 while 358 deaths took the toll to 28,528, the Health Department said on Thursday.

Recoveries continued to eclipse new infections with 32,049 people recovering on Thursday, taking the total to 20,91,646 leaving 1,88,664 active cases, a medical bulletin said.

Tamil Nadu recorded its highest daily infections tally at 36,184 cases on May 21 and since then it has been witnessing a declining trend.