Exactly three days ahead of the deadline of the current phase of the lockdown in which Tamil Nadu enjoyed a significant scale of relaxations, Chief Minister MK Stalin has on Friday announced that the lockdown will be extended for a week and the fresh phase pours more relaxations to the state, signalling it is swiftly returning to normalcy after battling the horrendous second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The fresh relaxations were made possible by the sharp decline in the Covid cases in the state. The fresh phase of the lockdown will come into effect on July 5 - Monday and will stay in place till July 12. While the preceding phases of the lockdown had split the districts into three tiers based on the severity of the virus spread, the fresh phase has poured removed the tiers and poured relaxations in common for all the districts. 

In an official release, the state government has notified the directive of the Union Home Ministry which, in the order on June 29, has instructed the states to impose strict restrictions till July 31 to curb the virus spread. The following are the relaxations and restrictions that you must know if you are living in Tamil Nadu. 

Common relaxations for every district: 

• Existing relaxations will continue and the shops and services, that are allowed till 7 pm in the earlier phase of the lockdown, will function till 8 pm from Monday across the state.  
• Business to Business exhibitions will be allowed from Monday. However, people will be permitted to attend such events only if they possess appropriate invitations. The stakeholders of these exhibitions from the organizer, proprietors of the halls, and all staff members must either get an RTPCR test or received two doses of the vaccine to conduct the event. 
• Eateries, bakeries, and restaurants with boarding facilities can function from 6 am to 8 pm across the state by adhering to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The hotels are permitted to offer dine-in facilities with 50% of customers at a time. 
• The tea shops are allowed to offer dine-in services with 50% of customers at a time by following the SOPs. Gyms and clubs are permitted to function by adhering to the COVID-19 guidelines. 
• The IT companies can function with 50% of the workforce and guest houses will also be allowed to function with 50% of the customers. Museums and the reservatory of the artefacts can function from 10 am to 5 pm from Monday across the state. 
• TASMAC liquor shops will be allowed to function from 10 am to 8 pm. 
• Religious and worship places can function from Monday across the state by following SOPs. However, these places are banned from conducting religious events and congregations. The textile and jewellery shops can function with 50% of customers and they are not allowed to use air-conditioners. 
• Shopping complexes and malls can function from 9 am to 8 pm. The hotels in the malls can offer dine-in services with 50% of the customers. However, the cinema halls in the malls are not allowed to function. 
• Public and private transports within and between the districts are allowed from Monday across the state. The buses can function with 50% of the passengers and by following the SOPs. Earlier, the transports were banned in eleven districts that reported more Covid cases and after a decline in the cases, the transports are allowed to function in all the districts. 
• Entertainment and Amusement parks can function with 50% of the visitors and these establishments are directed to sanitize the premises at regular intervals. 
• In a significant relaxation, the state government has repealed the E-pass and E-registration system. The people can move across the state without the e-pass and e-registration from Monday. 
• Wedding events can be held with 50 people while funerals are allowed with 20 people. 

The following services will be banned in the state until further orders: 

• Public and private transportations between the states. 
• Apart from the international flight services permitted by the Home Ministry, all other international flight services will continue to be under suspension. 
• Theatres and cinema halls.
• Bars and recreational clubs. 
• Swimming pools.
• Cultural, political, and religious events. 
• Sports and related events.
• Schools and colleges will continue to be under suspension and the staff members can carry out the administrative works. 
• Zoological parks. 
• Apart from the essential services, all other services will be banned in the containment zones.