Haryana Lockdown Guidelines: COVID-19 curbs extended till May 31, some relaxations announced

Representative image

The Haryana government has extended the lockdown-like curbs in the state till May 31. Some of the restrictions have been eased to allow shopkeepers to resume their business activities in a regulated manner.

"Standalone shops are allowed to open during the day when the night curfew is not in operation," stated the order issued by the chief secretary on May 23.

The night curfew, which will continue in the state, stretches from 9 pm to 5 am. During this period, all shops would remain shut.

The state government has also allowed the non-standalone shops to operate for up to five hours per day. "Shops other than standalone shops are allowed to operate from 07:00 am to 12 noon," the order said, further adding that such shops would be divided into two groups with each of them allowed to operate on alternative days.

"In two groups - namely odd and even- shops with odd numbers on odd dates and shops with even numbers on even dates," the order stated.

The state government has clarified that "malls are not allowed to open". The decision is likely aimed at preventing the violation of social distancing norms.

Also Read | COVID-19 Lockdown: From Kerala to Karnataka, states that have extended their restrictions

Notably, the lockdown-like curbs, titled as 'Mahamari Alert-Surakshit Haryana' drive, was first imposed in the state on May 3. It has been subsequently extended to curb the pace of virus transmission.

The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Haryana has declined over the past few days. The state, on May 22, reported 5,021 fresh infections and 98 deaths. This marked the 13th consecutive day in the decline of new cases recorded per day.

The active caseload has come down to 47,993, whereas, the recovery rate has gone up to 92.45 percent. The test positivity rate has decelerated to 8.53 percent.

"Although the Covid positivity rate has come down, the Mahamari Alert-Surakshit Haryana needs to continue so as to it bring the same and the fatality rate down even further," the government said.