Hours after meeting the representatives of the political parties and health experts, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has announced that the complete lockdown will be extended in the state for a week from Monday. The current phase of the lockdown was imposed on May 10 and it hits the deadline on May 24. The Chief Minister has held a crucial meeting on Saturday morning post which he has announced the lockdown extension in the state.

As per the new order, the fresh phase of the lockdown will come into effect on May 24 and it will be in place for a week- till May 31st, 2021. During the meeting, the Chief Minister has said that the government has strongly been considered imposing the complete lockdown with no relaxations comparing to the previous phase. While it was expected that the complete lockdown will be imposed for two weeks, the Chief Minister has announced the lockdown for a week. The following are the orders that you should know about the fresh phase of the lockdown, 

• Pharmacies will be functioning as usual across the state.
• Distributions of Milk, Water, and Newspapers will face no restrictions. 
• Fruits and vegetable shops across the state will be closed from Monday and the horticulture department in Chennai and across the state will be collaborating with the municipal administrations and will be supplying fruits and vegetables directly to the people through vehicles. Meat shops will remain closed for a week. 
• Essential services at the Chief Secretariat and at the district administrations will only be functioning from Monday. 
• The employees attached to the private companies, banks, insurance companies, and IT companies are advised to discharge their works from their homes. 
• E-commerce portals can function only from 8 am to 6 pm from Monday. 
• Fuel stations will be functioning as usual so are the ATMs.
• The movements of Agri products, essential goods, and cargo will be allowed to ply.
• The movements of people between the districts will be allowed with the E-registration only for essential reasons like medical emergencies and deaths. No requirement of E-registration for travelling within the districts for medical emergencies. - For E-registration, please visit: https://eregister.tnega.org/#/user/pass
• News agencies can function as usual. 
• Hotels can continue offering parcel services from 6 am to 10 am; 12 pm to 3 pm; 6 pm to 9 pm from Monday. Food delivery platforms like Swiggy and Zomato will be allowed to function only during these hours. 
• Continuous process industries, industries manufacturing essential commodities and medical equipment will be allowed to operate based on the existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). 
• Malls, theatres, parks, and other recreational clubs and religious places will remain closed. 

As the Tamil Nadu government has imposed the complete lockdown from Monday, Chief Minister MK Stalin has announced that transportations and all sorts of shops will be allowed to function on Saturday - May 22, and Sunday - May 23 with the view of letting the people stock the essential products and reach their destinations before Monday. Here's what you must know about the two-day relaxations, 

• The government has permitted the functioning of all sorts of shops till 9 pm on Saturday and the shops can remain open from 6 am to 9 pm on Sunday. 
•  With the view of the interest of the people who tend to move to other districts, the government and private bus transportations will be allowed to operate on Saturday and Sunday. 

In the press release, the Chief Minister has appealed to the people to refrain from exiting their residences unnecessarily and they should wear masks, wash their hands at regular intervals, and should observe social distancing at public places. He also had instructed the people to report to the nearby hospitals if they show any positive symptoms for the pandemic and he further requested them to extend their co-operation to the government in its efforts to curb the pandemic. 

During the meeting with the representatives of the political parties and health experts, the Chief Minister had expressed his displeasure over the violations of the government guidelines and restrictions in the state. He said, "The lockdown was imposed to break the chain of transmission of the virus and the COVID-19 pandemic hasn't come under control in Tamil Nadu. Most of the people are not adhering to the government's guidelines and advisories and they are wandering across the state by thinking the lockdown as a holiday."

He further said, "They are defying the appeals from the police department and they express the fear for the virus through their words but their actions suggest that they are not scared of the virus. The government is considering imposing a complete lockdown in the state. The health experts have recommended that the spread can be curbed only by imposing the complete lockdown without any relaxations". "The medical staff and students are bracing more crisis in the wake of the pandemic", the Chief Minister added.