TN schools to remain shut as lockdown extended till October 31

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has decided to extend the lockdown in the State for one more month, till October 31, albeit with more relaxations. In a statement here on Tuesday, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said the lockdown has been extended based on the discussions he had with the district collectors, health experts and senior ministers. 

Putting to rest speculation on reopening of schools, the Chief Minister said the GO issued on September 24, for allowing students of Classes 10 to 12 to come to their schools from October 1, is being withheld. This issue would be reviewed at an appropriate time in the coming days.

Even though the State has been unlocked further, educational institutions, movie halls, swimming pools, amusement parks, large auditoriums, beaches, zoological parks, museums, tourist spots and the places where people gather in large numbers will remain closed. The ban on religious and political gatherings, processions, educational, and cultural events will continue.

The restrictions on international flight services except for those routes allowed by the Union Home Ministry will also continue. Suburban trains will not be operated and enforcement of Section 144 will continue.While the restrictions will be enforced strictly in the containment zones, the relaxations would be in force in other areas, the statement added.

Earlier, during the discussions with district collectors, Palaniswami said that so far, the State government has spent Rs 7,323 crore towards relief measures and for preventing the spread of Covid infection. Of this, Rs 1,983 crore was towards health-related expenses, while Rs 5,340 crore was towards relief measures. He pointed out that the recovery rate in the State remains the highest (90.50 per cent), while the mortality rate stands at 1.60 per cent. 

MoUs for investing Rs 31K cr in TN inked during lockdown

During the Covid period, the State attracted the highest investments by signing MoUs with 43 companies with total investments to the tune of Rs 31,464 crore that would create new employment opportunities for 69,712 people. During this period, Rs 8,557 crore has been provided as loans to 2,37,090 Self Help Groups. Besides, Rs 954.80 crore has been given as loans exclusively to SHGs which were affected by the Covid. He said steps were being taken to bring normalcy in the State by relaxing the norms for the lockdown.

Elaborating on the relaxations, The Chief Minister’s statement said hotels and tea shops would be allowed to function between 6 am and 9 pm while takeaways will be allowed till 10 pm. Film shootings are allowed with 100 persons at a time and without any spectators. He said that from October 1, a total of 100 flights from other States can land at Chennai airport. So far only 50 flights were allowed. However, there won’t be any change in the number of flights that can land in the airports at Coimbatore, Tiruchy, Madurai, Thoothukudi, and Salem.

The government and government-related training institutes will be allowed to function as per the Standard Operating Procedure. Besides, the weekly markets in rural and urban areas would be allowed to function. Appealing to people to adhere to the guidelines issued by the government, the Chief Minister said depending on the changing situations, more relaxations would be allowed in accordance with requirements.