The Nitish Kumar government in
Bihar on Saturday came out with a number of fresh restrictions to contain the spread of COVID-19, which has seen a country- wide surge in the recent past.
Guidelines were issued by the state’s home department after a high-level meeting, chaired by Kumar, reviewed the situation in Bihar.
Reopening of schools and colleges, which were scheduled on April 5, shall now be deferred till April 11 and all institutions have been directed to reschedule tests and examinations accordingly, the department said in a release.
Deployment of additional police force at bus terminuses, railway stations, vegetable markets and eating joints to ensure social distancing and prevent overcrowding has also been ordered.
The communication stated that entry of stray visitors inside government offices shall remain restricted, while public transport vehicles will be allowed to ply, with the number of passengers not exceeding 50 per cent of total capacity, till April 15.
Holding of all functions, except marriages and funerals, at public places will be barred and the maximum number of people allowed at a wedding must not exceed 250. Not more than 50 persons will be allowed to attend a ‘shraaddh’, the release said.
The district administrations concerned have been empowered to enforce COVID protocols like compulsory wearing of face masks and social distancing, the home department missive said.
Bihar has been witnessing a spike in instances of fresh cases. The state now has 2,942 active cases, a more than two-fold rise since a week ago.
The number of new infections reported in the last 24 hours stood at 836.
The spurt has caused the recovery rate in Bihar, which was more than 99 per cent till recently, to drop to 98.31 per cent.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
