Tamil Nadu defers Class 12 public exam; announces Sunday lockdown

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Sunday announced postponement of class 12 public examination, complete lockdown on Sundays and night curfew from 10 pm to 4 am.

After Chief Minister K Palaniswami chaired a high level meeting here to review the COVID-19 scenario in the state, the government announced measures, including the Sunday lockdown to help prevent the rapid rise in the spread of virus. Though the class 12 public examination is deferred, the ongoing practicals would be conducted as per plan, the government said in an official release.

Originally, the government had planned to hold the Higher Secondary Second Year exams from May 3 to May 21. Visit to beaches, zoos, parks, monuments, museums and all tourist destinations like Nilgiris, Yercaud and Kodaikanal is barred on all days. Information technology and IT enabled services companies should ensure work from home for at least 50 per cent of its work force, the government said.

Exams, classes of colleges & universities to be held online

Exams and classes of colleges and universities should be held online and there would be no permission for summer camps. Special monitoring teams would be constituted in all districts to ensure strict compliance of norms to prevent virus spread.

Hospitals and hotels may team up to set up Covid Care Centres and health department would grant need-based permissions. To encourage additional manufacture of medical oxygen in Tamil Nadu, the Chief Minister advised Industries Department to provide temporary licences to firms.

Full lockdown would be implemented from next Sunday, and all kinds of shops, retail outlets, fish markets, cinemas, commercial complexes shall remain shut though essential services including hospitals and important industries shall be exempt, the government said. Tamil Nadu had last year implemented Sunday lockdowns and the government re-introducting the restriction came today when COVID-19 cases crossed the 10,000 mark for the first time during the present second wave of the pandemic.

The government appealed to the people to cooperate with it to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

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