Two days ahead of the deadline of the current phase of the lockdown in the state, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has on Friday announced that the lockdown will be extended in the state till July 5 and the fresh phase has come with more relaxations than the preceding one as the most of the districts in the state are reporting a decline in the COVID-19 cases. 

The fresh phase of the lockdown extension will be coming into effect from Monday - June 28 and will be in place till July 5. With the view of easing the curbs and not to lose the grip on the containment measures against the pandemic, the Tamil Nadu government has divided the districts based on the cases and pouring relaxations in the districts that report a dip in the cases and restricting the movements of people in the districts that report a surge in cases.

As per the government's drive of gradual unlocking of the lockdown, the districts have been divided into three tiers- Tier 1 (more COVID-19 cases), Tier 2 (moderate cases with a sharp decline), and Tier 3 (decline in cases with less positivity rate). Tier 1 has eleven districts - Coimbatore, The Nilgiris, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Karur, Namakkal, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, and Mayiladuthurai. 

Tier 2 has 23 districts - Ariyalur, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri, Dindigul, Kallakurichi, Kanyakumari, Krishnagiri, Madurai, Perambalur, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram, Ranipet, Sivagangai, Theni, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, Thirupathur, Tiruvannamalai, Tuticorin, Tiruchirapalli, Villupuram, Vellore, and Virudhunagar. Tier 3 has four districts - Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram, and Chengalpattu. 

Below are the relaxations for each tier that you need to know. These relaxations will come into effect on June 28, 2021.

Relaxations in Tier 1 districts: 

• Along with the existing relaxations, the government has permitted the shops in these eleven districts to function till 7 pm as the cases are decreasing constantly in these districts. 
•  Tea shops in these districts are permitted to function from 6 am to 7 pm and they can only carry out parcel services. 
• Shops that are selling electrical items including bulbs, cables, switches, and wires can function from 9 am to 7 pm and hardware shops will also be functioning from 9 am to 7 pm. 
• Shops that are selling stationery items and educational books in these eleven districts are allowed to function from 9 am to 7 pm. Footwear shops can function from 9 am to 7 pm. 
• Utensil shops, fancy stores, laundries, and xerox shops can operate from 9 am to 7 pm, and shops that are selling mixies, grinders, and televisions can function from 9 am to 7 pm. 
• Vehicle repair shops can function from 9 am to 7 pm in these eleven districts. The shops that are selling spare parts to the vehicles will be allowed to function from 9 am to 7 pm. Mobile shops and related shops will be operating from 9 am to 7 pm.
• The shops that are selling computer hardware, software, electronic appliances, and spare parts are allowed to function from 9 am to 7 pm. The eateries on platforms can function from 6 am to 7 pm and they are only allowed to offer parcel services. The shops that are selling construction equipment will be functioning from 9 am to 7 pm. 
• All the essential government departments will be functioning with 100% workforce while other government offices can function with 50% of the manpower. All the private offices and establishments are allowed to function with 50% of the workforce. 
• Banks and Insurance companies in these eleven districts will be functioning with 50% of the workforce. Export companies will be permitted to function with 100% of the workforce and the rest of the industries in these eleven districts will be allowed to function with 33% of the workforce. The IT companies are allowed to function with 20% of the workforce. 
• All sorts of construction works will be allowed to function and beauty parlours, saloons, and spas will be allowed to function in these eleven districts with 50% of customers from 6 am to 7 pm without the usage of air conditioners. The sporting events are permitted from 6 am to 9 pm without the audience. 
• Schools, colleges, and universities in these eleven districts are allowed to carry out their admission process and the government parks, the parks, and the stadiums under the control of the local bodies are permitted to open from 6 am to 9 am for physical exercises. 
•  Sweet shops and bakeries in these eleven districts are allowed to carry out parcel services from 6 am to 9 pm. Food delivery platforms like Swiggy and Zomato will be allowed to function from 6 am to 9 pm. The shooting of the movies and TV serials are allowed to conduct with a maximum of 100 people and they have to participate after taking the RT-PCR test. 
• Theatres in these eleven districts can open once a week with the consent of local administration for carrying out maintenance works. 

Relaxations in Tier 2 districts: 

• Utensil shops, fancy stores, laundries, and xerox shops can operate from 9 am to 7 pm. Mobile shops and related shops will be operating from 9 am to 7 pm.
• The shops that are selling computer hardware, software, electronic appliances, and spare parts are allowed to function from 9 am to 7 pm. The eateries on platforms can function from 6 am to 7 pm and they are only allowed to offer parcel services.
• All the private companies in these 23 districts will be allowed to function with 50% of the workforce. The offices of the construction companies that are carrying out the projects can function with 50% of the workforce. 
• The government has permitted intra and inter-district public transportation (both within and between districts) in these 23 districts.
• The government buses will begin their services from Monday in these 23 districts and they are allowed to function with 50% occupancy by following the Standard Operating Procedures. 

Relaxations in Tier 3 districts including Chennai: 

• Along with the existing relaxations, the government has permitted 100% workforce in all the private companies in these four districts. 
• The textile shops are allowed to function from 9 am to 7 pm without operating the air conditioners and by allowing only 50% of customers in a time. 
• All the jewellery shops in these districts are allowed to function from 9 am to 7 pm with 50% of customers. The government has allowed the shopping complex and malls to function from 9 am to 7 pm in these districts including Chennai. However, the restaurants in these malls are only allowed to carry out parcel services. 
• The sporting events can be held from 6 am to 9 pm without audiences. IT companies can function with 50% of the workforce. Gyms and Yoga centres are allowed to function with 50% of occupancy while the museums can function from 10 am to 5 pm. 

General restrictions and relaxations: 

• Theatres and cinema halls will remain closed. Temples, churches, and mosques will be allowed to function across the state by following the Standard Operating Procedures. However, religious events and congregations will be banned. 
• Housekeeping will be allowed without e-registration and all the government offices in Tier 2 and Tier 3 districts can function with 100% of the workforce. Banks and Insurance companies in Tier 2 and Tier 3 districts will be allowed to function with 100% of the workforce.  
• Beaches across the states will be open for the public from Monday from 5 am to 9 am for the purpose of walking and physical exercise. Matchbox factories can function with 100% of the workforce. 
• People who are travelling within Tier 2 and Tier 3 districts for marriages can travel without e-pass and e-registration. The people who are travelling from Tier 1 districts to the other two tiers for marriages must obtain an e-pass. Wedding ceremonies are allowed to be held with a maximum of 50 people. 
• People who are travelling for the places like Nilgiris, Kodaikanal, Yercaud, Yelagiri, and Coutrallam for emergency purposes must acquire an e-pass from the respective district collectors.