TN beaches to remain closed on Kaanum Pongal

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has announced that beaches will be out of bounds for people during the Kaanum Pongal festival. Extending the lockdown till January 31, but with more relaxations, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said in a statement that the e-registration system would continue for those entering the state from other parts of the country, except Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

“The lockdown was extended based on views of health experts, Collectors and senior ministers,” Palaniswami said. Due to the effective steps taken by the State government to contain the infection, the positivity rate has been brought below 1.7 per cent. “Also, the number of daily positive cases has remained below 1,100 in the last 10 days.

The number of people under treatment has come down to 8,867 from around 50,000,” added Palaniswami.
The Chief Minister also reiterated his appeal to the public, asking them to wear face masks and maintain social distancing while stepping out of their homes.

What spills on to 2021
Places of worship can continue to remain open, with no time restrictions. However, the cap on the number of participants continues at 200. Additionally, there is no restriction on the number of people taking part in the shooting of a big or small screen production.

For all events, gatherings
All social, political, entertainment, sports, cultural, educational and religious gatherings will continue to be allowed, with a hall capacity y of 50 per cent hall capacity, or not over 200 people, in closed spaces