In wake of the emerging Delta and Delta Plus variants of the novel coronavirus, the Tamil Nadu government extended the lockdown by another week ending 6 am on July 5 with several relaxations in Chennai and surrounding districts where Covid-19 cases have come down. 
Meanwhile, shopping malls, jewellery stores, textile showrooms and places of worship have been allowed to reopen in Chennai, Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur and Chengalpattu districts.