The ongoing lockdown in Tamil Nadu was going to end on July 19. (FILE)
The Tamil Nadu government on Friday extended the coronavirus lockdown in the state till July 31 while easing more curbs. The graded relaxations come amid a dip in the daily COVID-19 cases.
Schools and colleges will remain closed, however, industrial schools, ITIs (Industrial Training Institutes) and type-writing schools have been permitted to function with 50 per capacity on a rotational basis, as per the new guidelines.
Teachers have also been allowed in schools for admission process and books distribution.
The ongoing lockdown in Tamil Nadu was going to end on July 19.
Only 50 people will be allowed for weddings and 20 for funerals, said an official statement by Chief Minister MK Stalin.
He also appealed to people not come out of homes unnecessarily and gather in crowds, amid fears about the third wave of the pandemic.
Inter-state buses, except to and from Puducherry, will continue to be prohibited.
Theatres, bars, swimming polls, zoos, political or community meetings with public participation, entertainment and cultural events will remain banned.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, Kerala and Maharashtra to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the states.
In the virtual meet, MK Stalin, flagged comparatively less allocation of COVID-19 vaccine doses to Tamil Nadu and said the Centre should provide one crore doses as a special case.
Tamil Nadu on Friday reported 2,312 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the caseload to 25,31,118. The number of fatalities mounted to 33,652 with 46 deaths due to the virus in the last 24 hours.