With Covid-19 cases showing an upward trend, the Tamil Nadu government on Thursday decided to impose fresh restrictions across the state from April 10.
In an order issued by Chief Secretary Rajeev Ranjan, the government said that despite effective containment activities, there has been a considerable increase in the number of positive cases across the state in recent days due to the non-adherence of COVID-19 guidelines.
> All places of worship will be permitted to open only till 8 pm.
> Cinemas, theatres and multiplexes, including those located inside malls, will be allowed to operate with a maximum of 50 per cent capacity.
> All shops, including vegetable shops, provision stores, shopping malls and big showrooms, can remain open only till 11 pm with a maximum of 50 per cent customer capacity at a time.
> Restaurants, food courts and tea shops will be permitted to function with 50 per cent capacity. Takeaways are allowed till 11 pm.
> Entertainment or amusement parks, auditoriums, recreational clubs, assembly halls, zoological parks, museums, and other similar places are permitted to function with 50 per cent capacity by following SOPs.
> All social, political, academic, entertainment, sports, cultural and other functions are permitted in closed spaces (indoor areas) with a ceiling of 200 persons. A total of 100 people will be allowed at weddings and 50 at funerals.
> Stadiums and playgrounds can conduct sports competitions. However, spectators are not allowed.
> Swimming pools are permitted for sports training by following the SOPs.
> Exhibition halls are permitted only for business to business purposes.
> Film and serial shootings have been permitted. However, the respective production establishment has been instructed to ensure that artists and crew involved in the shoot undergo RT-PCR tests and vaccination.
> Rental vehicles and taxis including cab aggregators who have already been instructed to ply with only three passengers excluding the driver need to strictly adhere to the guidelines. Similarly, auto-rickshaws should ply only with two passengers excluding the driver.
> The e-registration system will continue to be enforced for people coming to Tamil Nadu from other states and countries except for Karnataka, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh.
The management of industries, hotels, shopping complexes, private organisations and offices have been asked to ensure thermal scanning, use of hand sanitisers and wearing of masks by their employees. The government has asked the entities not to allow workers inside their premises without masks.
Industries have been permitted to operate by strictly following the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). They have been asked to arrange for the vaccination of their employees based on the guidelines issued by the government.
Both public and private intra-state bus transport and Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) bus transport in Chennai have been informed to ensure that passengers are only restricted to seating capacity available in the buses and not allow any of them to travel standing.
In the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) limits, field-level teams will be formed for each zone to monitor the situation. The process is set to be implemented in other districts as well.
The Chief Secretary has also informed the police, revenue department and local bodies to intensify the fever camps, surveillance of persons with fever, cough, cold on a daily basis and contract tracing.
On Wednesday, Tamil Nadu reported 3,986 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the total tally to 9,11,110. With 17 deaths in the past 24 hours, the state’s death toll reached 12,821. A total of 1,824 persons were discharged on Wednesday following treatment. There are 27,743 active cases in the state.
A corporation official checks the temperature of a resident in Chennai. Express Photo: Srinivas K 
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