COVID-19: Schools, malls, gyms to remain shut till Mar 31 in Tamil Nadu

As part of preventive measures against coronavirus, Tamil Nadu government on Monday (March 16) announced that all educational institutions, liquor outlets, theatres, malls and resorts will remain closed till March 31.

However, board exams for the Class X, XI and XII will happen as per the schedule and the medical colleges too will continue to function.

The move comes after Chief Minister K Palaniswami held a review meeting with cabinet colleagues at the Secretariat on Monday and said amusement parks, museums, swimming pools and gymnasiums would also remain shut.

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The news follows a day after the government declared holidays for kindergarten and primary sections till the month end in wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The government also imposed restrictions on weddings and banned public meetings, conferences, processions till March 31, an official release said.

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The state has so far reported only one positive case of COVID-19 and the 45-year-old engineer from neighbouring Kancheepuram is set to be discharged from hospital as he has recovered from the disease.

Even for the pre-planned temple festivals and public gathering, the state government requested to minimize the gathering strength to less than 50 to stop spreading of the disease.

The government also ordered the tour planners not to organise any new trips till March 31 and have asked resorts to refrain from taking any new bookings.

As the education institutions are shut and a lot of companies have given the work from home option for its employees. The government asked not to treat it as a vacation and take their children to crowded places to avoid getting an infection.

(With inputs from agencies)