The chief minister has appealed to the people to avoid public gatherings.

Chennai:

The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday has further extended the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions till November 15 but allowed some relaxation. The ban on festivals and political events will, however, continue.

The state government had extended the lockdown till October 31 last month after a meeting headed by Chief Minister M. K. Stalin. It has now been extended for 15 more days starting November 1.

The 11 PM closure deadline for shops and restaurants in the state will be lifted from today. In-person classes in schools will also be allowed from November 1 on a rotational basis for classes 1 to 8. Standalone bars have been allowed to open.

The state government has also allowed 100 percent occupancy in movie theatres and permitted full-fledged filming and cultural activities. Transport norms have also been relaxed. Buses can run on full occupancy except for those going to Kerala.

Government training centers can have full attendance. Indoor and outdoor sports training and swimming pools for therapeutic purposes are allowed from Saturday.

The chief minister has appealed to the people to avoid public gatherings.

Tamil Nadu on Saturday reported 1,040 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the caseload to 26,94,089. The number of fatalities mounted to 36,004 with 17 deaths due to the virus in the last 24 hours.