Intense lockdown in Chennai, Madurai to continue till July 5

CHENNAI: The TN government on Monday announced extension of the general lockdown until July 31 with an aim to contain the Covid-19 surge. The government also extended the ongoing intense lockdown in Greater Chennai, including parts of Chengalpet, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts, besides Madurai corporation until July 5.
The government, however, decided to allow all industries, export units and private offices to function with 100% strength in the rest of the state from July 1.In the rural areas of Chengalpet, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Madurai districts it will open up from July 6.

Tasmac outlets would be allowed to be kept open between 10am and 8pm in the rural areas of these three districts besides the rest of the state. It has also announced total lockdown in the state on all Sundays in July to break the chain of infection, while movement of public and private bus transport within the districts will remain suspended between July 1 and 15.
The government announced that e-pass would not be required for movement within the districts, while it is required for inter-state movement and inter-district movement. In the intense lockdown areas, the passes issued upto June 30 could be used upto July 5. In all areas under intense lockdown, workers shall be accommodated inside the industry premises or nearby places and allowed to work.
On Monday, chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami held discussions with public health experts on the way forward. “Lockdown is not the solution, whereas containment management is the solution. Lockdown is required by balancing relaxation and restriction,” chief secretary K Shanmugam told TOI.
The government decided to go ahead with the extension of intense lockdown even as aggressive testing continued across the state. As Covid cases spiralled in Chennai and Madurai, the plan is to continue the intense lockdown which would help the administrative machinery get a breather to cope with the rising demand for services.
The spike in cases could be seen from the sharp rise in Tamil Nadu’s containment zones -- from 303 to 703 within a week ending June 26. Chennai, Salem, Madurai, Cuddalore, Tirupattur, Nagapattinam and Tiruvannamalai districts have seen an increase in containment zones as well. Only seven of the 37 districts have reported completion of containment, including The Nilgiris, Namakkal, Dharmapuri, Trichy, Vellore, Perambalur, Karur and Ariyalur.
Hours after holding the meeting, one of the expert committee members, Dr Prabhdeep Kaur tweeted, “TN Govt will take a decision on restrictions or lockdown based on the district level situation. Expert group recommended that analysis of various epidemiological indicators and field situations might be considered while making the decision.” The experts did not recommend total lockdown in other parts of the state and insisted restrictions be placed on movement of public transport and public events.