Chennai, September 29: The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday announced the extension of lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 till October 31. The announcement was made by ruling AIADMK government, following the consultations held by Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy with Cabinet members and senior state officials. Female Workforce Participation Increased in India During COVID-19 Lockdown: LinkedIn Report.

Even as the lockdown was extended by another month, the restrictions were further eased as part of the strategy to gradually restore normalcy. Restaurants and tea shops are now permitted to remain open from 6 am to 9 pm, instead of the current limit of 8 pm. The take-away counters can operate till 10 pm in the night, reports citing the government order said.

Tamil Nadu's COVID-19 Strategy For October

Film and serial shootings can now be held with upto 100 persons. The number of daily permissible flights landing at Chennai airport has also been increased to 100. However, the current cap on flights arrival in Salem, Trichy and Madurai airports would remain.

The Chief Minister has decided to put on hold the order which allowed students of Class 10 and 12 to approach schools for consultations with teachers. The relaxation has been withdrawn in view of the warning issued by health experts.

Centre's Unlock 5 Guidelines Awaited

While Tamil Nadu has decided to extend the lockdown, the monthly guidelines of the Centre as part of the unlock strategy is awaited. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in coordination with the Health Ministry, is expected to unveil the guidelines by Wednesday.

Tamil Nadu, which has released the strategy for October before the Centre's Unlock 5 guidelines, is one of the severely affected states of India. The southern province has reported 5.86 lakh cases, out of which 5.30 lakh patients have recovered so far.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 29, 2020 07:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).