With festival season in full swing, Tamil Nadu govt allows shops to stay open till 10 pm

CHENNAI: With the festival season in full swing, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced that shops and commercial establishments can remain open till 10 pm from Thursday (October 22) across the state except in containment zones. Till now, shops and commercial establishments have been allowed to open till 9 pm.   

"Considering the forthcoming festival days, the need for redeeming the economy and prevailing status of Corona infection, the state government allows all shops including vegetable and grocery shops, tea shops and commercial establishments to function till 10 pm from tomorrow (October 22)," said Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami in a statement here.

Stating that the COVID-19 infection has been coming down gradually due to constant efforts of the state government, Palaniswami said, "To prevent the spread of this infection further, people should avoid gathering in large numbers in public places during the festival days. They should continue to wear masks and keep six feet of physical distance in public places besides frequent washing of hands using soap."

The current lockdown with relaxations is coming to an end on October 31. While the Navaratri festival is going on, the Deepavali festival falls on November 14. Milad-un-Nabi, the birthday of Prophet Muhammad, falls on October 30.