The sequel of the exponential rise of COVID-19 cases has brought the extended version of the complete lockdown in Madurai district as the Tamil Nadu state government has, on Saturday, issued an announcement in which the government has extended the deadline of the current complete lockdown in Madurai till July 12. 

Madurai has been emerging as an active hotspot for COVID-19 spread in the state after Chennai and its three neighboring districts with more cases for the past few days. Earlier the Tamil Nadu government has imposed enhanced lockdown in Madurai from June 24 to June 30 and after the cases soared in the district, the lockdown was extended till July 5. 

However, peaking cases have brought another extension of the complete lockdown. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapppadi Palaniswami has announced that the intense lockdown in Madurai city and surrounding areas has been extended till July 12 and the temple city would travel with the existing restrictions for yet another week.

In the press release, the Chief Minister said that in the albeit of decline in the COVID-19 spread in Madurai and its surrounding areas, the lockdown has been extended for seven more days with the view of bringing the spread under the control. 

According to the reports, the areas that fall under Madurai Corporation, Madurai East, Paravai town, Madurai West, and Thirupparankundram would be going under the complete lockdown till July 12 with the existing norms and restrictions.  Madurai would see the movements of essential and emergency services during the lockdown as the district has been reporting sharpest spikes of COVID-19 cases. 

Essential services like groceries, vegetable shops, and fuel stations will be functioning from 6 am to 2 pm while the restaurants can offer parcel services from 6 am to 8 pm whereas extremely emergency services like hospitals, pharmacies, and ambulance services will be functioning. Madurai has been going through the complete lockdown along with Chennai and its three adjacent districts.

However, the government hasn't extended the complete lockdown in Chennai and its adjacent districts after July 5 and it has extended in Madurai, which has signaled that the temple city has been witnessing the grounds of rapid spread. As of Friday - July 3, Madurai has reported 3,423 cases so far against the state's tally of 1,02,721 and Madurai is the fourth-worst affected district in Tamil Nadu. 

According to the state's health department, Madurai's tally stood at 269 on May 31st and in the span of one month, the district has added 3,155 cases to its count with an average of 105 cases each day.