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Covid-19 lockdown extended in Tamil Nadu till July 31; norms partially relaxed for ITIs, industrial schools
Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and industrial schools have been allowed to operate with 50% attendance at a time on rotational basis and by following Covid appropriate behaviour.
The Tamil Nadu state government on Friday extended the Covid-19 lockdown in the state till 6am on July 31, even as daily new infections continued to decline. The new extension has been announced as the existing curfew is scheduled to end by 6am on July 19, the government orders showed.
Among major relaxations announced, Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and industrial schools have been allowed to operate with 50% attendance at a time on rotational basis and by following Covid appropriate behaviour. Also, teachers have been allowed to visit their schools for smooth functioning of administrative works such as admissions, distribution of textbooks and preparation of syllabus plan, the order also said.
Meanwhile, the limit on the number of people allowed in gatherings such as marriages and funerals continues in the state. In marriages a maximum attendance of 50 people is allowed while the upper limit for funerals is 20, the government said.
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The operation of private and government buses between states also continue to remain barred with the sole exception of Puducherry. Theatres, bars, swimming pools, social and political gatherings, sports and cultural programs, educational institutes and zoological parks will not be allowed to operate until 6am on July 31. International air travel is allowed only on those routes that are permitted by the Union ministry of home affairs.
All shops that have been allowed to operate have been advised to enforce usage of hand sanitisers for visitors and also perform temperature checks. Shopkeepers have also been directed to follow prescribed ventilation and social distancing norms and avoid crowding of customers at a time.
The order was released following a review meeting by chief minister MK Stalin and state health minister Ma Subramanian and other state officials. Health secretary J Radhakrishnan was also present in the meeting as seen In the picture shared by the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party.
Stalin was one among the six CMs who met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a video call earlier on Friday. He pressed Modi for increased allocation of Covid-19 vaccines to TN, a demand he has made a few times previously. He said that wastage of vaccines has been “fully avoided” in the state and the demand has increased among the public. “However, when compared with other states, the allocation for our state is very less. To handle this tough situation, I had requested a special allocation of one crore vaccine doses. I look forward to your support in this important issue,” news agency PTI quoted Stalin as telling Modi during the meeting.
On Friday, 2,312 more people tested positive for the disease in Tamil Nadu taking the state’s toll to 2,531,118 cases. Also, with 46 new fatalities, the death toll climbed to 33,652, a bulletin from the state government showed.
