Chennai, Aug 23 (IANS): Coimbatore District Collector, G.S. Sameeran on Monday issued an order that the shops and other establishments in the Tamil Nadu district can operate till 10 p.m. For the past 20 days, the shops and establishments in Coimbatore district have remained closed after 5 p.m.

Restrictions have been lifted following the declining number of fresh and active Covid-19 cases in the district. The district administration in a statement on Monday said the shops and establishments must strictly follow Covid protocols even though there is a reduction in the number of Covid cases.

The District Collector after a meeting with officials to assess the Covid-19 situation allowed the opening of bars and hotels in the district. Parks and botanical gardens too are allowed to operate from Monday.

With the Tamil Nadu government allowing theatres to resume with 50 per cent capacity from Monday, the Coimbatore district administration has allowed permission for the same.

The district administration in a statement urged the theatre management to ensure that all its employees are vaccinated before they are allowed to resume duty.

The Coimbatore district administration said swimming pools and gyms would be allowed to function from Monday. However, both the trainees and trainers must be vaccinated.

However, the administration directed that tourist spots, museums, and parks would remain closed on Sundays due to the heavy rush of people on holidays.

The earlier Covid restrictions must be followed by people entering Coimbatore from other states through airport, railway stations and roads which would remain unchanged. Two doses of vaccine or an RT-PCR report taken within 72 hours of the journey is mandatory for those reaching Coimbatore from other states.

Heavy police teams led by Deputy Superintendent level police officials will guard the checkposts to verify the vaccination certificates or the RT-PCR certificates at the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border, the District administration said.