The Tamil Nadu government on Monday, 30 August, announced that beaches will be closed on Sundays and idols for Vinayaka Chathurthi festival will not be permitted for public display. The government made the announcement while extending the COVID-19 lockdown till 15 September.
The Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday held a high-level meeting with officials in Chennai to take stock of COVID-19 caseload in Tamil Nadu. After the meeting, the government ordered the lockdown extension along with fresh restrictions which will be in effect till 15 September.
As hundreds of people thronged Marina Beach on Sunday, 29 August, the government barred the public from going to the beach on all Sundays starting 5 September.
Restrictions on visiting places of worship will continue on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Holding religious festivals is also banned. The government has barred the installation of Vinayaka idols in public places and also barred congregations for the immersion of idols. People can celebrate the festival at their homes and only one person will be allowed to immerse the idol in nearby water bodies.
The order further stated that public or religious organisations are barred from idol immersion in beaches and between the stretches of Napier Bridge and Santhome on 10 September.
Subsequently to prevent the public from gathering, the order confirmed that the public will be allowed to leave idols at temples and this will be collected by Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) department.
Schools, Colleges Reopen in Tamil Nadu
As schools and colleges are set to reopen from 1 September, the government has ordered the respective managements to adhere to all the safety protocols. In the case of hostels, the government has ordered the management to vaccinate the staff. The hostels for school and college students, and working women and men, will operate as per COVID-19 regulations.
Meanwhile, as the neighbouring state Kerala had been reporting high COVID-19 caseload, the government has said that students coming in from the state must be fully vaccinated and submit a negative RT-PCR test certificate.
After the government on Monday allowed the respective district collectors to enforce district-level control measures, Coimbatore collector GS Sameeran on Monday night announced that on weekends, jewellery and textile shops, parks and malls will remain shut.
Tamil Nadu reported 1,523 new COVID-19 cases on Monday. Coimbatore recorded 188 new coronavirus cases, the highest in the state, followed by Chennai which saw 183 new cases. There were 21 deaths due to COVID-19 reported on Monday, 30 August.
(This article was first published in The News Minute and republished here with permission.)
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