COVID-19 | Haryana extends lockdown-like curbs till May 24

Movement of individuals for non-essential purpose is prohibited (Representative image)

The Haryana government on May 16 decided to extend the lockdown-like curbs for at least a week, despite the recent dip in COVID-19 positivity rate in the state. The stringent set of curbs will continue till May 24, state Health Minister Anil Vij tweeted.

The government will take tough measures to enforce the restrictions, Vij said. "Mahamari Alert/Surkshit Haryana extended from 17 May to 24 May. Stringent measures will be taken to implement the alert," he posted on his official social media handle.

The Surkshit Haryana drive, through which the government imposed lockdown-like curbs, came into force on May 3. The curbs were set to expire on May 17, but the government has decided to extend the same by at least seven more days.

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As per the restrictions that will continue in Haryana, all religious places, schools, colleges and other educational institutes will remain closed. Cinema halls, malls, shopping complexes, gyms, swimming pools, parks and bars would also remain shut.

All forms of social gatherings have been banned, with an exception issued for marriages if due permission is obtained from the district authorities. However, a cap of 30 guests is imposed if marriages are being held in indoor spaces, and 50 guests are allowed if held in open spaces.

For funerals, a congregation of not more than 20 persons are allowed, as per the guidelines.

Essential services shops including milk, vegetable and grocery stores are allowed to operate. Restaurants and dhabas are allowed to operate only for home delivery purpose.

The limited activities that are allowed as per the guidelines would, however, remain barred in areas notified as containment zones. In such places, only the home delivery of grocery items, milk and vegetables is permitted.

Movement of individuals for non-essential purpose, in both containment and non-containment zones, is also prohibited.

Over the past few days, Haryana's per-day COVID-19 count has dropped. As per the last update issued on May 15, a total of 10,608 positive cases were detected in the preceding 24 hours, along with 164 deaths. The positivity rate has dropped to 15.94 per cent.