Tamil Nadu Extends Lockdown to Contain Coronavirus Till May 31, Centre's Announcement This Evening

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had asked all the states and union territories to submit their recommendations to the Centre on how the lockdown 4.0 should be implemented. Based on the inputs from the state governments, a new form of nationwide lockdown would be imposed, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said in his national address on Tuesday.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami (Photo Credits: ANI)

Chennai, May 17: The government of Tamil Nadu announced that the lockdown, to contain the transmission of novel coronavirus, will be extended in the state till May 31. The announcement came hours before the Centre was scheduled to release the list of revised guidelines and rules for the fourth phase of shutdown, to begin from tomorrow. COVID-19 Live Tracker: Map The Spread of Coronavirus in All States of India.

As per the statement issued by Chief Minister E Palaniswami's Office, the lockdown would continue with the same set of restrictions. Schools, colleges and other educational institutions will remain closed.

All religious places for worship, including temples, churches, mosques and shrines, will also remain shut. No rail or air passenger services will be allowed, except for special trains and flights operated by the government.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had asked all the states and union territories to submit their recommendations to the Centre on how the lockdown 4.0 should be implemented. Based on the inputs from the state governments, a new form of nationwide lockdown would be imposed, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said in his national address on Tuesday.

Tamil Nadu was preceded by Maharashtra and Punjab, which decided to extend the lockdown till the month-end -- before an announcement in this regard was issued by the central government.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday announced that the lockdown would be extended, but the state of curfew will end from May 18. In non-containment zones, most economic activities and limited amount of public transport would also be resumed, he added.

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray announced today that the lockdown would be continued, considering the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the state. Relaxations in economic activities and transport would be permitted in green and orange zones, he said.

Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu are among the three worst-affected states of India. While Maharashtra's tally has crossed 30,000, the number of cases in Tamil Nadu is 10,585. This includes 3,538 patients who have recovered and 74 who have succumbed to death.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 17, 2020 03:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).

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