Tamil Nadu Lockdown Likely To Be Extended Till June 14 On Experts' Advice

As the ongoing complete lockdown nearing to end on June 7 in Tamil Nadu, is it speculated that the government may extend the curfew till June 14 in the wake of constantly increasing number of covid cases in some districts.

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Chennai: As the ongoing complete lockdown nearing to end on June 7 in Tamil Nadu, is it speculated that the government may extend the curfew till June 14 in the wake of constantly increasing number of covid cases in some districts.

Districts with fewer covid cases may witness lockdown relaxation, while districts with more cases are expected to see the lockdown with restrictions.

While the coronavirus cases dipped in Chennai, the western region of the state has been seeing the highest number of cases in recent days.

After chairing a high-level meeting with officials on June 4, Chief Minister MK Stalin's government is likely to extend the COVID-19 lockdown till June 14, along with a few relaxations.

Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu, secretaries of key departments, and top police officials participated in the discussion. According to sources, TN Chief Minister would make a formal announcement on lockdown extension on Saturday.

According to the daily COVID-19 update, Tamil Nadu has seen a significant decline in its caseload. From reporting almost 36,000 cases per day from the past few days, the number descended to 24,405 cases on June 3. However, districts like Coimbatore, Chennai, Trichy, Erode, Tirupur, and Salem are still recording more than 1,000 cases every single day.

Tamil Nadu has now set up a task force to look into the state’s preparedness in handling and curbing possible third wave of coronavirus infections.

Tamil Nadu implemented its first 2021 lockdown on May 8 which was further extended till June 7. However, considering the high number of positive cases in many districts, the state would not open up completely as the central government had ordered on May 1 that districts should open up only if the test positivity rate is below 5% continues for a week.

Recently, releasing a video, CM had said that lockdown cannot be extended for a longer period. “We cannot keep extending the lockdown and there has to be a full stop to this soon. It is only in people’s hands. There can be a full stop to the spread of COVID-19 only if restrictions are followed completely,” Stalin said.­