As the state recorded its all-time high of 10,723 Covid-19 positive cases on Sunday, the Tamil Nadu government announced night curfew from April 20 during which movement of people will be restricted and a Sunday lockdown will be imposed from April 25.
The government also decided to ban tourists in Kodaikannal, Ooty, and other tourist places from April 20, while imposing restrictions on functioning of shops and restaurants. While asking colleges to conduct exams online, the government postponed the class 12 board exams scheduled to begin on May 5.
In a detailed statement, the government said only essential services will be allowed to operate during night curfew from 10 pm to 4 am, while inter-state and inter-district transport would remain suspended during the period. However, media, and filling stations can continue to work during the period.
The government also announced closing of all beaches in the state, while asking restaurants to shut down shops at 9 pm everyday.
The restrictions were announced on the day the state recorded the highest number of cases since the outbreak last year. As many as 10,723 persons tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Sunday, taking the number of active cases in the state to 70,391.
The government recorded 42 deaths that took the death toll to 13,113. The state tested a total of 1.10 lakh samples on Sunday.