Only the driver and a single passenger will be permitted in the vehicles.
In another step towards restoring partial normalcy in the state, the Tamil Nadu government has permitted the operation of auto-rickshaws and cycle rickshaws subject to conditions. The services would resume in all parts of the state, other than Chennai city limits. However, the vehicles would be allowed to ply only between 7 am and 7 pm and will not be permitted to operate in containment zones across the state.
The announcement, which comes into effect from Saturday, mentions that the drivers who reside in containment zones would not be allowed to resume work. Only the driver and a single passenger will be permitted in the vehicles.
The drivers have also been asked to provide sanitizers in the vehicle for the passenger’s use, besides disinfecting the vehicle thrice a day. Both the driver and passenger are required to wear masks. Drivers have also been instructed to wash their hands with soap at regular intervals.
While Tamil Nadu has been seeing a significantly higher spike in cases in May, there have also been relaxations in various sectors that are aimed at restoring normalcy. It is notable that many of these relaxations don’t apply to containment zones and some aren’t permitted in Chennai city limits.
Over the last few weeks, the state government has permitted functioning of all standalone shops across the state, opened state-run liquor outlets (except in Chennai and adjoining districts), and permitted state government offices to function with 50% staff for six days a week. Most recently, the government also permitted the resumption of shooting television serials and other programmes, subject to various conditions and precautions.
The coronavirus figures in the state are quite alarming as Tamil Nadu is only second to Maharashtra in the total number of cases. On Thursday, Tamil Nadu saw 776 new cases, thus taking the total cases to 13,967, while active cases stood at 7,588. The government figures say that 3.72 lakh tests have been conducted and 3.55 lakh people have undergone the test. More than half of the state’s total cases have been recorded in capital city Chennai.
However, the silver lining is the recovery rate in the state which has been above the national average. Tamil Nadu has seen 6,282 recoveries, of which 400 were discharged on Thursday alone.
The mortality rate in the state has also been below the national average as the number of deaths due to COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu stands at 94.
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