There will be no lockdown on Sunday (January 30) in Tamil Nadu. There will be no more night curfews in the State from Friday, the State government announced on Thursday. This relaxation comes as the number of new Covid cases has been on the decline in the last few days.
From February 1, schools (except nursery and kindergarten) and colleges will reopen. However, there will be a ban on cultural, social and political gatherings; only 50 per cent occupancy in restaurants, lodges, bakeries and hotels.
Only 100 guests will be allowed at weddings and 50 at funerals. Cinemas will run with 50 per cent occupancy, says a government press release. There was no mention if places of worship would be open for devotees during weekends.
Covid numbers
Meanwhile, new Covid cases in Tamil Nadu dropped further to 28,515 on Thursday as against 29,976 on Wednesday.
After 28,620 Covid patients were discharged – more than the daily cases – the number of active cases stood at 2,13,534. There were 53 deaths registered and 1,46,798 samples tested.
Chennai reported 5,591 new cases (5,973 on Wednesday) and Coimbatore 3,629 (3,740 infections). On Thursday, a total of 1.64 lakh persons got vaccinated, according to health department data.