TN lifts curbs: Schools, colleges to reopen on Feb 1, night curfew, Sunday lockdown withdrawn

Chennai, Jan 27: The Tamil Nadu government has withdrawn Covid-19 restrictions like night curfew and Sunday lockdown as Coronavirus cases drop in the state. The state government has allowed schools reopen on February 1 for classes 1 to 12.

In a order, the Tamil Nadu government allowed the reopening of schools (except nursery and kindergarten) and colleges from February 1.

After the rise in the Covid-19 cases in the state, the government had ordered schools to close while permitting classes for higher secondary students till Pongal (mid-January). Later, all the higher secondary schools were asked to remain shut till this month-end.

Reviewing the pandemic situation with health officials and senior bureaucrats on Thursday, Chief Minister MK Stalin announced that there will be no night curfew from January 28, Further, there would not be a complete lockdown this Sunday (January 30), as it is being withdrawn.

Restaurants, cinema theatres, clubs, amusement parks, bakeries, lodges, gyms, garment and jewellery shops, spas and salons are allowed to function with 50 per cent occupancy. The restriction on the number of persons (up to 100) for marriage and (50) for funerals will however continue. All colleges and universities, other than those that are temporarily functioning as COVID Care Centres, would resume classes on February 1, strictly complying with the government guidelines on COVID safety.

Meanwhile, the state reported 28,515 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday with 53 deaths. The active caseload in Tamil Nadu is 2,13,534. PTI