india.com : Aug 09, 2020, 02:56 PM
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has announced more relaxations for the state, which is under lockdown till August 31. In a statement on Saturday, the Chief Minister announced that public worship will be allowed in small temples in corporation areas, that have an annual income of less than Rs 10,000, from August 10.Small mosques, dargahs, churches and other religious places can also open, the AIADMK leader said, adding that for public worship, permission should be taken from the Greater Chennai Corporation commissioner and district collectors.Further, driving schools across the state, too, can open from August 10, with standard operating procedures (SOP) in place.Notably, Tamil Nadu is the second worst-hit state in the country after Maharashtra. On Saturday, the state witnessed a spike of 5,883 new cases, taking its overall COVID-19 tally to 2,90,907. This includes 2,32,618 recoveries, 53,481 active cases and 4,808 deaths, including 118 in the last 24 hours.The Tamil Nadu government has already permitted gyms to reopen from August 10, in line with guidelines issued by the central government.