Persons without face masks will not be allowed to buy goods in shops. All consumers should wait in the area marked for them to ensure social distancing and should not unnecessarily touch anything in the shop. These are part of the Standard Operating Procedures released by the Tamil Nadu government for shops and establishments.

Shop owners/workers should wear face masks and gloves and avoid frequently touching their noses, mouths and eyes. At any given time, only one person will be allowed to buy the goods and a minimum of 4-5 persons will be allowed to wait in the marked area.

The government also released SOP for restaurants ahead of their reopening from June 8.

At restaurants thermal screening facilities have to be provided at the entrance; biometric attendance system should be avoided; only 50 per cent of the seating capacity will be allowed; take away will be encouraged instead of dine-in and disposable menu cards are advised to be used. All customers going to the restaurants need to wear face masks.

Fighting stigma

On combating the social stigma associated with Covid-19, the SOP said that companies must ensure that there is no discrimination against people who have tested positive or anyone who has come in contact with a Covid-19 patient.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami has appealed to the people to comply with government regulations and follow SOPs to help in containing the virus.

It is important to protect people’s livelihood and economy. The spread of the virus cannot be controlled without the cooperation of the people. Be alert, maintain social distance, wear masks and stay at home, he said.

Tamil Nadu has the highest recovery rate in the country and the lowest mortality rate in the world. Over 5.50 lakh blood samples were tested for Covid-19 in the State of which 86 per cent of the positive cases were asymptomatic, he said.

Special coordinator

Meanwhile, the State government has appointed senior IAS officer Pankaj Kumar Bansal, Commissioner of Land Administration, as Special Coordinator to the Greater Chennai Corporation for analysis and working out an appropriate intervention strategy. This includes preparation and implementation of micro-level plans in the high risk zones.

The appointment comes a day after five senior ministers were appointed to oversee coordination in the city, which has been witnessing a steady increase in the number of cases in the last one month. As on Saturday, in Chennai alone 1,146 persons tested positive, taking the total number of infected people to 20,993.

Senior IAS officer J Radhakrishnan, Commissioner of Revenue Administration, is already working as Special Nodal Officer for the Greater Chennai Corporation to coordinate the Covid-19 related issues with the support of a team of IPS officers, Commissioner of Greater Chennai Corporation and other teams constituted to contain the spread of the virus.

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