CHENNAI: While ruling out the possibility of a lockdown, Chennai Corporation Commissioner G Prakash on Sunday said that the tighter Covid-19 restrictions will be imposed in the city.
“Only take-away services will be allowed in hotels. Crowds at marriage ceremonies and religious places will be restricted. Masks will be made compulsory in commercial establishments. These are some of the likely restrictions to come into force,” said Prakash, addressing reporters here.
He said that a high-level meeting is currently being chaired by the State Chief Secretary in this regard and the announcements, along with further restrictions, may come into force by Monday.
“We will get further instructions today. I will announce all the restrictions officially by Monday,” said Prakash.
As Tamil Nadu saw a major spike with 9,344 fresh Covid-19 cases and 39 deaths on Sunday, the state government is likely to impose stricter restrictions as part of containment measures.
Meanwhile, the total cases in Tamil Nadu are now at 9,80,728 and the toll reached 13,071. On Friday, the state had recorded 8,449 cases and 33 deaths. This is the first time the state has crossed 9,000 cases.
Chennai reported 2,884 cases and 22 deaths, with 23,625 active cases while Chengalpet reported 807 new cases, Coimbatore 652 and Tiruvallur 389 cases. Meanwhile, 99,050 people were tested for Covid-19 on Saturday with total tests now at 2,07,39,160.
Among the deceased, 30 people had comorbidities. While most of the deceased were aged above 50, a 36-year-old in Madurai with no comorbidities passed away after three days of admission due to Covid pneumonia and respiratory failure.
Meanwhile, health secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan said that the rise in cases is anticipated as this is a global phenomenon. "Tamil Nadu is still not immune to the virus. We must strictly avoid unnecessary gathering and Covid-19 protocols must be followed," he told TNIE.
Presently, TN has 65,635 active cases, and 5,263 people were discharged on Saturday, with a total discharge of 9,02,022.