Full lockdown extended in Chennai, Madurai and parts of 3 other districts till July 5

Full lockdown has been extended in Chennai, Madurai and in parts of Thiruvallur, Chengalpattu and Kanchipuram till July 5. The same restrictions that these districts witnessed for the lockdown between June 19 and June 30 will be extended until July 5. A press release issued by the Tamil Nadu government on Monday evening also extended the lockdown with some relaxations in the rest of the state. 

In addition, a complete lockdown will be imposed on all Sundays in July across Tamil Nadu. This means that July 5, July 12, July 19 and July 26 will see a total lockdown.   

The Tamil Nadu government’s decision to extend the lockdown comes despite the expert medical committee advising against extending the lockdown. The committee had a two-hour meeting with Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami on Monday. Following the discussion, Dr Prabhdeep Kaur, a member of Chief Minister’s Expert Committee on COVID-19 said, “Our committee has not recommended a lockdown because it is a blunt instrument, but not a solution. We require it at times, but lockdown alone cannot be a solution for COVID-19 pandemic. We need to intensify the restrictions in places with high caseload.”