R. ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, APRIL 29
The Tamil Nadu government has said the four-day total shutdown in Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore Corporation limits ending by today will not be extended further here on Wednesday.
சென்னை, கோவை, மதுரை ஆகிய மாநகராட்சிகளில் இன்று முழு ஊரடங்கு முடிவடையும் நிலையில், நாளை முதல் 26.4.2020 க்கு முன்பு இருந்த நிலைப்படி ஊரடங்கு தொடரும்.
அத்தியாவசிய பொருட்கள் விற்கும் கடைகள் நாளை மட்டும், காலை 6 மணி முதல் மாலை 5 மணி வரை திறந்திருக்க அனுமதிக்கப்படும். pic.twitter.com/hlc4HvhTgA
— CMOTamilNadu (@CMOTamilnadu) April 29, 2020
It also announced a relaxation in the business hours of shops selling essential items including vegetables for April 30, saying they can function from 6 am to 5 pm.
Amidst rising Covid-19 cases in the state, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had on April 24 announced a complete shutdown from Sunday (April 26) in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai for four days, bans even grocery shops as well and fully curtailing movement of the public.
The shutdown in the corporation limits of Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore, scheduled to end by Wednesday night, will revert to the pre-April 26 conditions, an official release here said.
On Wednesday, the government announced extending the business hours of shops selling essential items for Thursday, saying it will be applicable only for tomorrow.
“On April 30, to enable people buy essential items like vegetables, fruits and grocery, shops selling these will be allowed to remain open from 6 am to 5 pm,” the release said.
However, business hours will be curtailed from 6 am to 1 pm from the next day, May 1, in adherence to the lockdown conditions announced earlier.
The government urged the people to strictly follow social distancing while buying the essential items, besides asking them to remain patient and calm during shopping.
“People are directed to wear masks,” while visiting the shops, it said cautioning them against the contagion, the release said.
Incidentally, people had given a go-by to all social distancing norms on Saturday, a day before the total lockdown kicked-in in the said cities and resorted to panic buying by swarming markets in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai to purchase essential commodities.
