Amid Covid-19 cases surge, states governments of Gujarat, Punjab and West Bengal have extended night curfew and lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus. Along with previous guidelines, some more new instructions were imposed, while some were relaxed.
In Gujarat, the state government on Thursday said the night curfew imposed in 36 cities will be extended till June 4. The state government had on Wednesday decided to relax the night curfew timings by an hour, while keeping the day time restrictions in place.
As per a government release, instead of the earlier curfew timings of 8 pm to 6 am, the night restrictions on people’s movement will be in place till June 4 in 36 cities between 9 pm to 6 am. Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot are among the 36 cities where night curfew is currently in place.
Shops, shopping complexes, salons, APMCs and other commercial establishments are allowed to remain open between 9 am and 3 pm in these cities, it stated. Restaurants can only provide take-away or home delivery services between 9 am to 9 pm in these 36 cities, the release said.
However, educational institutions, auditoriums, theatres, malls, community halls, water parks, spas, gyms, gardens and swimming pools, will remain closed in the cities, the release said, adding that these establishments were also asked to remain shut in the entire state. As in the previous week, there will be a total ban on all kinds of religious, political and social gatherings across the state.
While places of worship will remain shut for public for another week, sports complexes and stadiums can operate without spectators, the release said. The public transport services can function with 50 per cent capacity in the state, it was stated.
In Punjab, the government has extended the coronavirus restrictions till June 10 but removed the limit on the number of passengers in personal vehicles and allowed the resumption of elective surgeries and OPD operations in hospitals. The state government had imposed extensive curbs, in addition to measures like a weekend lockdown and a night curfew to check the spread of the infection.
The decision to extend the curbs was taken at a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, according to a government statement. Earlier, the state government had extended the Covid curbs till May 31.
In West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has extended the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions till June 15, saying that the curbs have helped ease the pandemic situation a little. The West Bengal government had announced the existing restrictions for 15 days from May 16 following a huge surge in the number of coronavirus cases. The announcement for extension of the curbs came three days before they were scheduled to come to an end.
“The Covid-19 restrictions in the state will continue till June 15. This is not a lockdown or a curfew. We will strictly follow the restrictions. “It’s a relief to see that the ongoing restrictions have helped in easing the situation a little,” Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat ‘Nabanna’.
She allowed the jute industry to work with 40 per cent workforce in place of the existing 30 per cent. “We will see that the state’s economy is not disturbed,” Banerjee said.
Essential services will continue operating following protocols, the chief minister said.
(with inputs from PTI)
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