NEW DELHI, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Local government in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu Saturday extended the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown until June 14 with certain relaxations, officials said.
The lockdown period was to end on June 7.
The decision was taken by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin.
"The lockdown in the state has been extended by one more week from June 7 until 6:00 a.m. (local time) on June 14. However, region-wise relaxations based on the severity of infection spread will be given," an official said. "Chennai and the districts in the north and south of the state, where COVID-19 cases have come down will get greater relaxations and 11 districts predominantly in the west and delta region where the infection rate is higher will have minimal relaxations."
As per the new order, the shopping complexes, malls, tourist places, cinemas and salons will remain shut across the state.
However, standalone provision shops, grocery stores, fish and meat stalls will be allowed from 6:00 a.m. (local time) to 5: 00 p.m. Likewise, pavement makeshift shops selling vegetables, fruit and flowers could also function during the allotted time.
The Chief Minister has directed the district administration to make arrangements for open wholesale markets in more than one place to ensure physical distancing and adherence to COVID-19 protocol.
Officials said all government offices would remain functional with 30 percent workforce.
According to federal health ministry's details on Saturday morning, Tamil Nadu on Friday recorded 22,651 new COVID-19 cases and 463 related deaths.
India is witnessing a resurgence in COVID-19 cases and the second wave of the pandemic has posed a challenge for the country.
Health ministry Saturday said 120,529 new COVID-19 cases and 3,380 related deaths have been reported during the past 24 hours across the country.
