The Multi-storey shops in Chennai's busy T Nagar area, which resumed its operations earlier this month in the fourth phase of the lockdown, has again been ordered to close its shutters indefinitely after these establishments were identified to have breached the guidelines and protocols. 

According to the reports, the Greater Chennai Corporation has, on Friday, issued the orders to close the shops in T Nagar immediately until further notice. The authorities from the Corporation have inspected these shops on Friday and came to the revelation that the norms for physical distancing have been violated by the customers and shop-keepers and these shops had failed to provide sanitizers to the customers. 

After founding out, the corporation has ordered to shut down the shops by 3 pm on Friday following which these shops were closed indefinitely and standalone and smaller shops can remain functioning in the area. Chennai has learned previously on the arduous impact of the absence of social distancing through the Koyambedu cluster and the city has been accounting for two-thirds of total cases in the state. 

The establishments in T Nagar and across Chennai with major footfall were ordered to close by the state government in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in March and these areas turned empty and took a deserted look. Adding to these establishments, the government has ordered to shut down the shopping malls, cinema halls, public parks, and recreational centers and these commercial corridors are still remain closed. 

Earlier this month, the state government has permitted the resumption of 34 types of establishments, and the shops that fall under the relaxation norms had resumed its operations in Chennai and Tamil Nadu. Establishments like furniture shops, dry cleaners, household appliance showrooms, small jewelry shops, electrical and mobile service centers, and textile shops had opened its shutters with tight regulations. 

After identifying that some of these multi-storey establishments had violated the social distancing norms, they have been ordered to shut down until further notice. Chennai has been witnessing a sharp spike in COVID-19 cases. On Thursday, the city has reported 559 cases and the city has recorded 12,762 cases so far with 106 deaths- highest in Tamil Nadu. As of Friday morning, Royapuram area in the city has more cases (2324) followed by Kodambakkam (1646), Teynampet (1412), and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar (1393).