Except for shops selling groceries, vegetables, meat and fish, all other shops are prohibited from being open, including tea shops, due to the curfew.
Chennai: Along with the existing Covid-19 prevention guidelines for curfew until 4 am, May 24, new restrictions have now been imposed by the State Government even as Covid-19 surges continue unabated across TamilNadu.
According to a press release issued by the Chief Minister M K Stalin, "The curfew order has been in force since March 25, 2020 under the National Disaster Management Act, under the guidance of the Central Government for prevention of Covid-19. The number of cases have been spiking again since March 2021 in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Meanwhile in Tamil Nadu, the cases gradually increased from being around 450 cases in February to 30,000 per day, now.
As on May 13, 2021, the number of infected people in Tamil Nadu stands at 1.83 lakhs. To further beef up the preventive measures in Tamil Nadu, on the basis of unavoidable reasons, a complete curfew has been imposed across the State for two weeks till 4 am on May 24. The spread of Covid-19 infection was also discussed in detail at the first Cabinet meeting held on May 9.
In addition, on Thursday, at the all MLA meeting, Covid-19 issues were further discussed to intensify preventive measures against Covid-19. A consultative meeting was held on Friday with senior government officials and medical professionals. Considering the restrictions on certain activities recommended by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Medicine and Family Welfare to prevent the further spread of Covid-19, a lockdown has been currently imposed from 4 am on May 10 to 4 am on May 24. This decision has been taken due to unavoidable reasons behind the spread of Covid-19.
New Regulations:
Shops selling groceries, vegetables, meat and fish which were allowed to operate without air-conditioning until 12 noon, will be allowed to operate hereon only from 6 am to 10 am.
Only 50 percent of customers should be admitted at a given time into these shops. Delivery of groceries, vegetables, meat and fish through e-commerce companies such as Dunzo will also be allowed to operate from 6 am to 10 am.
Except for the above mentioned shops, all other shops are prohibited from opening due to curfew.
ATMs, petrol and diesel bunks will operate as usual.
English and Indian medicine pharmacies will be allowed to open as usual.
The general public is advised to buy necessary groceries, meat and vegetables from shops near their home and avoid traveling long distances just to buy them. Those who seek to do so, will be stopped.
Earlier, pedestrians stalls selling vegetables, flowers and fruits were allowed to operate until 12 noon but this too has been halted.
Tea shops were earlier allowed to operate till 12 noon but with the new rules, tea shops have been denied permission to operate.
E- commerce companies will be allowed to operate from 2 pm to 6 pm.
E - Commerce:
The Tamil Nadu Government has made e-registration mandatory for people entering Tamil Nadu from foreign countries and other states.
e-registration is also mandatory for urgent travel in between districts for weddings, death of immediate relatives and elderly care. The registration can be done at (https://eregister.tneqa.org). This e-registration comes into effect from 6 am on May 17.
General Guidelines:
As already announced, night curfew will continue in all parts of the State from 10 pm to 4 am. This will be implemented for two weeks (starting 16.05.2021 and 23.05.2021).
The Metropolitan Corporation of Chennai and the District Collectors should take steps to relocate meat and fish shops to other places as overcrowding is rampant. As already emphasized many times before, the pandemic can only be controlled if the public fully adhere to the curfew guidelines.
Therefore, as discussed at the meeting of all MLAs and opposition that was held on May 13, the police should immediately take all necessary steps to ensure that entire lockdown is implemented across Tamil Nadu.
In such a situation the public should avoid stepping out of their homes to roam freely or participate in other gatherings. As stated in the National Guidelines for Covid-19 management, wearing a mask in public, adhering to social distancing and washing hands frequently with soap or sanitizer is mandatory.
Public are requested to visit the nearest hospitals immediately upon discovering Covid-19 symptoms. I request everyone to kindly cooperate with the Government's decision to control Covid-19," stated the press release.