G.O.(Ms)No. 193, Extension of COVID-19 Restrictions in Tamil Nadu, 2020

What the government order does

G.O.(Ms)No. 193 of the Revenue and Disaster Management (DM-II) Department extends COVID-19 restrictions across Tamil Nadu up to 3 May 2020. The restrictions follow the Consolidated Revised Guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

District administrations may allow selected additional activities from 20 April 2020. Before allowing them, district administrations must ensure that social distancing procedures and other sector-specific arrangements are in place.

Activities that remained prohibited

The Consolidated Revised Guidelines continued restrictions on:

• Domestic and international passenger air travel, except for specified and security purposes.
• Passenger trains, except for security purposes.
• Public buses, metro rail, taxis, auto rickshaws, cycle rickshaws and cab aggregators.
• Inter-district and inter-State movement of individuals, except for medical reasons or permitted activities.
• Educational, training and coaching institutions.
• Industrial, commercial and hospitality activities not specifically permitted.
• Cinemas, malls, shopping complexes, gyms, sports facilities, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars, auditoriums and assembly halls.
• Social, political, sporting, entertainment, academic, cultural and religious gatherings.
• Public access to religious places and religious congregations.

Funeral gatherings of more than twenty people were not permitted.

Containment zones

The District Administrations were responsible for demarcating containment zones in accordance with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare guidelines. Activities otherwise allowed under the Consolidated Revised Guidelines were not permitted within those zones.

Containment zones required strict perimeter control. Movement into or out of them was limited to essential services, including medical emergencies, law and order duties, and continuity of government business.

Permitted essential and economic activities

The guidelines kept health services operating, including hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, laboratories, veterinary services, medical supply businesses and medical infrastructure construction.

Agricultural and horticultural operations could remain functional. Permitted activities included farming, agricultural procurement, notified markets, direct marketing from farmers, agricultural machinery shops and repairs, farm machinery hiring centres, and the manufacture, distribution and sale of fertilisers, pesticides and seeds.

Banks, automated teller machines, banking support services, regulated financial markets and insurance companies could also function. The guidelines required strict enforcement, while allowing the State Government to impose stricter local measures where needed.

Relevance to land and property matters

G.O.(Ms)No. 193 does not set out changes to land ownership, land records or property rights. Its relevance to property owners and professionals was the temporary restriction on travel, gatherings and commercial activity, including inter-district movement except for medical reasons or activities specifically permitted by the guidelines.