The Tamil Nadu government, on Thursday, September 9, issued fresh guidelines for the pandemic-induced lockdown in the state. The new guidelines state that all political, cultural, and religious congregations will be banned till 31 October 2021. The new rules were announced ahead of Friday’s Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
The government added that there is a likelihood of the third wave of the coronavirus in the country in September and October because of which preventative measures are being taken.
“In the ongoing corona control measures, some relaxations have been announced considering the livelihood and economic well-being of the people. However, restrictions on festivals, political, social and cultural events continue. Events like this can turn into Super Spreader Events,” read the latest guidelines released on Thursday.
The state has announced relaxation for the garlanding of statues of freedom fighters. According to the latest rules, five people from a family along with five politicians are allowed to pay respects to the statues after getting permission from the district administration.
The guidelines add that these rules were issued in order to prevent the impact of a possible third wave in Tamil Nadu. The guidelines also cite the increasing incidence of Nipah virus disease in the neighbouring state of Kerala as one of the reasons for the new guidelines. The current ban on festivals, political, community, and religious gatherings, which are more public gatherings, is in the public interest, the guidelines read.
The state government has urged the public to celebrate festivals at homes while avoiding crowded places as well as travel by public transport
The new guidelines come even as the state reported 1,587 new COVID-19 cases and 18 deaths on Wednesday.
The Tamil Nadu government had in August eased the lockdown restrictions allowing bars attached to hotels and clubs to commence operations. The state had also eased rules allowing beaches, public zoos and botanical gardens to be reopened. Swimming pools were allowed to reopen at 50 percent capacity while information technology companies and movie theatres were allowed to function at 100 percent capacity.
(Published in an arrangement with The News Minute.)
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