Bhubaneswar: Amid the continuing rise in COVID cases, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday announced that there will be a complete lockdown in the state on Sunday (January 23).
The state had added 28,561 new COVID cases on Thursday, taking the infection tally to 30,42,796.
The lockdown will begin at 10 pm on Saturday and remain effective till 5 am on Monday.
Essential services, including milk shops, ATM kiosks, hospitals, hospital-related works, goods transportation and petrol stations, will continue to function. Restaurants and hotels can offer takeout services from 7 am to 10 pm along with food delivery facilities.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government has allowed all private offices to function with up to 50 per cent attendance by staggering office timing. They have, however, been advised to follow work from home, as far as possible. The weekend curfew will stay from 10 pm to 5 am.
Notably, India had reported 3,47,254 COVID cases in the last 24 hours, 9 per cent more than Thursday.