New rules will kick in from August 18 restricting timings of restaurants, hotels and other hospitality units as well as restaurants/hotels within shopping malls and liquor vends till 8.30pm and shops and shopping malls till 8pm instead of 9pm due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
District magistrate Girish Dayalan said on Monday that the night curfew hours will remain fixed at 9 pm to 5am, with movement of all non-essential activities within the municipal limits the city restricted. However, essential activities including operation of multiple shifts, movement of persons and goods on national and state highways and unloading of cargo and travel of persons to their destinations after disembarking from buses, trains and aircraft will be permitted.
Industries running two to three shifts will also remain open.
Violation of these guidelines and lockdown measures will be punishable under sections 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, inviting legal action under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
According to various advisories issued by the health and family welfare department, compliance of rules is mandatory. Violations will invite criminal proceedings under the relevant provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and the Indian Penal Code, 1860.