Covid-19: CM M K Stalin announces 2-week complete lockdown in Tamil Nadu from May 10; check details

In a bid to rein in the rising number of Coronavirus cases in the state, the newly sworn M K Stalin government in Tamil Nadu has decided to impose a complete lockdown in the state. The complete lockdown will be imposed in the state for a period of two weeks starting from May 10, news agency PTI reported.

The decision about the complete lockdown in the state was announced by Chief Minister Stalin himself as he said that the lockdown was being imposed due to unavoidable reasons. Explaining the rationale behind the government’s decision, the CM said that the decision was taken after he received the feedback from district collectors across the state in a review meeting on Friday. The CM also said that medical experts were also consulted before taking the decision of complete lockdown.

As per the announcement made by the Chief Minister, the complete lockdown will come into force in the state beginning 4 AM on May 10 and last till 4 AM on May 24. The lockdown decision is one of the first major decisions taken by the Stalin government which was sworn in yesterday. A total of 26,645 new cases of Coronavirus were registered in the state on Friday. The state also registered a record death toll of 197 patients in the last 24 hours. The total number of active Covid-19 cases in the state was about 1.35 lakh, as per the health department of the state.

Activities allowed during lockdown in the state:

1. The movement of essential services and goods will continue unhindered during the morning hours and will be allowed till 12 PM, as per the lockdown instructions.

2. Banks and ration shops have also been allowed to continue their operations during the lockdown with downsized staff members in addition to the frontline workers.

3. Restaurants during the course of the lockdown will only be allowed to offer takeaway services and no in-dining will be allowed.

4. People will also not be allowed to take cabs and auto-rickshaws except for emergency transport requirements, including hospital, wedding, and funeral, among others.