Food will also be provided through community kitchens and home delivered to select sections of the population such as the aged, he said in a statement on Thursday.

Palaniswami had on Monday declared that areas falling under Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpet districts and under the city police jurisdiction, where the surge in COVID-19 cases remains unabated, will revert to stringent lockdown sans several relaxations from June 19 to 30. Two Sundays during the 12-day period shall just be short of total curfew with only milk supply and medical services exempted, he had announced.

The four districts have the highest concentration of coronavirus cases in the state, which has so far reported over 50,000 infections. On Thursday, Palainiswami recalled Amma Canteens, a pet scheme of late chief minister Jayalalithaa and run by local bodies, had given free food during the lockdown period till May 31 and announced its extension during the coming phase.

The curbs will kick in from the midnight Thursday, he added. The functioning of community kitchens, which are at present supplying food free of cost to the needy, will be scaled up and they would home deliver meals to the aged, besides to care homes, he said.

This arrangement will be in place till June 30, the chief minister added.