tamil-nadu

Updated: Apr 29, 2020 13:07 IST

The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday announced some relaxations for Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai where a four-day “intense lockdown” was clamped to check the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) will end at 9pm.

Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said shops selling essential items, vegetables and fruits will open between 6am and 5pm in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai municipal corporation limits on Thursday, news agency ANI reported.

However, Palaniswami said the timings for shops will be between 6am and 1pm from May 1, according to ANI.

The restrictions that prevailed before April 26 would continue to apply after the completion of the complete lockdown that is scheduled to end in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai, he said.

The government also urged the people to strictly follow social distancing norm while shopping and asked them to remain patient and calm. “People are directed to wear masks,” while visiting the shops, it said cautioning them against the contagion.

Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai were among the five cities in Tamil Nadu which were put under an “intense lockdown” to check the spread of the highly infectious coronavirus disease or Covid-19 on April 26.

The lockdown was intensified for four days from April 26 till 9pm on April 29 in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai. Two smaller cities of Salem and Tirupur are under stricter restrictions for three days till 9pm on April 28.

The government decided to tighten curbs under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, in select urban regions based on expert opinion as the number of infections rose.

The “intense lockdown” in Tamil Nadu came in the middle of a nationwide shutdown ordered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month and extended to May 3.