Tamil Nadu is gearing up to bring back the normalcy of how it was before the lockdown imposed to battle the COVID-19 spread. Though the normalcy won't be in its fullest scale, most of the suspended services are going to resume from September 1, signaling that it would be back on its track amid rising COVID-19 cases. 

As part of unlocking the unprecedented experiment in a graded manner with not losing the control of curbing the spread of the global pandemic, the Tamil Nadu government has poured major relaxations and announced the fresh guidelines for September. 

On the relaxations front, the government has permitted the resumption of shopping malls across the state and these establishments were closed for the last five months. The state government has, on Monday, issued the fresh standard operating procedures (SOP) for the resumption of the malls and if you are planning to visit the malls after five months, you must know the following guidelines before stepping into the malls. 

Guidelines for individuals:

• As per the fresh SOP, individuals are mandated to observe physical distancing of at least six-feet inside the mall and the individuals should strictly wear face masks or face covers on the premises. 
• They should wash their hands with alcohol-based hand sanitizers and soap at regular intervals and they should follow respiratory protocols and guidelines of using tissue or handkerchief to cover their mouth and nose while sneezing and coughing. 
• Spitting inside the mall is strictly banned and the government has instructed everyone to install and use the Aarogya Setu application and they should self-monitor themselves and must report to the state and district helpline on developing the symptoms. 

Guidelines for food courts that are inside the shopping malls:

• The food courts must permit only 50% of seating capacity in a time and they should follow the adequate crowd and queue management. The staff at the food courts and restaurants must stick to the protocols and wear facemask and hand gloves while they are on their duties. 
• The courts and restaurants must encourage the digital mode of payment through debit and credit cards and other online platforms to avoid cash transactions and they should also encourage the contactless mode of order to avoid direct contacts. 
• The staff, chef, and other workers attached to the kitchen should sanitize their hands once every thirty minutes and hand sanitizers must be placed in all the dining tables for the use of customers. 
• The restaurants must disinfect the dining table and chairs after every service and if any workers attached to the hotels and food courts in shopping malls develop cough, cold, or fever, they should not be permitted to the hotels, instead, they should proceed to check with the doctor and get tested immediately. 

Guidelines to the management of the shopping malls:

• The management should only allow asymptomatic visitors and customers to the mall and the management should install thermal screening and sanitizer dispensers at the entrance to monitor the temperature of the customers.
• The customers, visitors, and workers must be allowed to enter the malls only if they wear facemask and cover and the management must ensure everyone wears the masks while in the mall. 
• Effective frequent sanitation should be maintained and the grounds of the large gathering, cultural programmes, and any sorts of musical concerts are strictly banned. The management should maintain minimum numbers in allowing the people inside the malls and people using the elevators. 
• Physical distancing of a minimum of six feet should be maintained when crowding or queuing up for entry and the managements are instructed to deploy adequate numbers of staff for ensuring the observance of social distancing norms. 
• The management should follow proper crowd management in parking lots and outside the premises and the management should keep the temperature of all AC devices range from 24-30 Celsius and the air circulation system should allow fresh/ treated fresh air within fresh air level more than 50%. 

General restrictions:

• Cinema halls inside the shopping malls would remain closed until further orders and along with the cinema halls, children play areas and gaming arcades would also remain closed. 
• Geriatric people, pregnant women, people with comorbidities, and children below the age of 10 should refrain from visiting the malls and are advised to stay at home. 

Apart from these guidelines and restrictions, the SOP further stated that if the management spots any confirmed or suspected cases in the malls, such people should be kept in a room or area where they would be isolated from other people. The management should provide a mask or face cover for such people and they should immediately report the development to the nearest medical facility or should call the state or district helpline. 

If such people confirmed to have tested positive, the management must carry out the process of disinfecting the premises. The public health authority would be undertaking the risk assessment and further actions would be taken concerning to trace up the contacts of the infected people. 

Must-read: No e-pass and no complete lockdowns: TN CM EPS pours major relaxations from Sep 1, full details here!