COVID lockdown set to be extended till May 15 in Chhattisgarh districts.
The Chhattisgarh government on Tuesday allowed collectors to extend lockdown till May 15 to contain the spike in COVID-19 cases, officials said.
The lockdown in force in all 28 districts currently is set to end at 6 am on May 6.
The extension in all districts should be uniform, that is for 10 days till May 15, but with certain relaxations, they added.
During this period, agriculture shops, godowns will be open and movement of fertiliser trucks will be allowed, standalone grocery outlets can remain open or operate via home delivery, a state public relations department official said.
"Banks and post offices can open with 50 per cent staff, electricians and plumbers can offer home services while home delivery of ACs, fans, coolers etc will be allowed. Shops dealing in poultry, meat, egg, milk and dairy products, fruits, vegetables, flour mills will be allowed to to function. Works related to PWD, Irrigation, Public Health Engineering (PHE), Forest, MNREGA etc will be allowed," he informed.
Petrol pumps and medicine stores will be allowed to open with no time restrictions, whereas loading and unloading of goods at cargo warehouses, godowns etc shall be done between 11 pm and 5 am only, the official said.
"On Sunday, there will be a complete lockdown, and only hospitals, clinics, medicine shops, pet feeding, petrol pumps, home delivery items and services will be allowed," he said.
In Raipur and Durg districts, additional relaxations have been given to outlets dealing in stationery, vehicle-repair as well as eateries.
"Markets, marriage halls, malls, clubs, swimming pools, super markets, all religious places, coaching classes, schools and colleges, pan and cigarette shops, liquor outlets, mobile eateries, barber shops, parks and gyms will remain shut in all districts during lockdown, tourist spots will be closed and all types of public gatherings will remain prohibited," the official said.
The state government also asked the Bastar district administration to maintain a high level of alertness as a new strain has been detected in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, adding that they should strictly implement border controls, improve border checking and testing of people, besides extending lockdown.
The lockdown in Raipur has been extended till May 17, an official informed.
