<span style="color: #222222;">Along with several other states, a number of relaxations from the lockdown conditions came into force from today in Tamil Nadu.<br />''<br />''Shops selling essential articles have been allowed to operate for extended hours till 6 pm which were earlier asked to shut down at 1 pm.<br />''<br />''IT firms, Special Economic Zones and export oriented units, construction activities and a series of other economic activities have been opened up.<br />''<br />''They are mandated to operate to follow certain conditions including limited staff strength, commutation through office-provided vehicles and maintaining social distancing.<br />''<br />''However, in the containment zones from where confirmed Covid19 cases have been identified, the full lockdown continues.<br />''<br />''Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu, the number of infected cases crossed the three thousand mark yesterday. In a new high, 266 new cases were reported yesterday including 203 in Chennai.  More from our correspondent:<br />''<br />''As Chennai remains a major Covid19 hotspot in Tamil Nadu, the Union Government has deputed a team of three senior physicians from the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research JIPMER, Puducherry.<br />''<br />''They come close on the heels of the Inter-Ministerial Central Team who have wound up their nine-day visit to the state capital on Saturday.<br />''<br />''The central health team have discussed about the epidemic situation in the city with the state health secretary, the state special nodal officer for Chennai and the city corporation commissioner.<br />''<br />''They also visited several Covid19 treatment and management facilities in the city. Initially they have planned to review the situation in the city for 14 days since last Friday which may be extended depending on the ground situations.</span><br />