Govt exams & bus service to Pondy allowed from Monday

Govt exams & bus service to Pondy allowed from Monday

All Shops Can Now Work Till 9pm, TN Curbs Extended

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:10.07.2021 

Bus services to Puducherry from Tamil Nadu will resume and shops can remain open till 9pm across the state from Monday as chief minister M K Stalin on Saturday announced extension of the Covid-19 lockdown till 6am on July 19 with more relaxations. Competitive exams for state and Union government jobs will also be allowed, but agencies conducting the tests must inform district collectors in advance.

Interstate public and private transport and international air travel, except the ones permitted by the Union home ministry, however, will continue to remain prohibited. Curbs on cinema theatres, bars, swimming pools, social and political gatherings, entertainment, sports and cultural events, schools and colleges and zoological parks too will remain intact. A maximum of 50 people will be permitted to attend marriages, and 20 people for funerals and last rites.

“All permitted activities will be allowed to continue in the state, except in containment zones. Shops and other activities permitted till 8pm will be allowed till 9pm,” the CM said. Restaurants, tea shops, bakeries, eateries, sweet shops will be permitted with a 50% cap on customers at a time till 9pm. “Standard operating procedures should be followed strictly at all shops and public gatherings,” the CM said.

Doors, windows must be kept open in shops to ensure good ventilation

Even as the total positive rate is falling, the state government wants to remain cautious. “The state is still not in a comfort zone to open up fully,” said a senior official.

Hand sanitizers and dispensers should be compulsorily made available at the entry and customers screened using thermal screening. Management should ensure that staff and customers wear masks at all times. Doors and windows should be kept open in shops with air-conditioning facilities to ensure adequate ventilation. Entry should be restricted to maintain social distance, while marking should be drawn for the customers to maintain distance when they stand in queue near shops.

“The district collectors and local bodies will have to take up intensive preventive measures through micro-level containment of cases,” he said. No other activities other than medical emergency services and supply of essential commodities will be permitted in the containment zones. The administrative machinery should set up committees and take up aggressive door-to-door monitoring in these zones.

Stalin urged the public to avoid stepping out of houses and gather in public places to prevent the infectious disease. “Wearing masks, maintaining social distance and frequent hand washing should be strictly followed. Public should visit hospitals nearby for consultation or treatment as soon as they get to know of the symptoms,” Stalin said. Imposing fines on violations of Covid protocols will continue, he said.