Guwahati: Amid the spike in COVID-19 cases, Assam government has imposed new restrictions and increased the timing for night curfew instead of a full lockdown.
According to an order dated May 4 by Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), all shops and offices will have to shut down by 2 pm on all days. And instead of 8 pm, now night curfew is effective from 6 pm to 5 am.
The order will come into effect from 5 am of 5th May 2021 and will remain in force until further orders.
Here are all the details of the new restrictions:
- All shops and commercial establishments shall shut down at 2 PM (1400 Hrs.) on all days;
- All offices both private and Government shall shut down at 2.00 PM (1400 Hrs) on all days. This will not be applicable for organizations rendering Essential and Emergency Services, Law Enforcing Services and Election Work.
- No meeting/gathering at any open or closed spaces shall be allowed;
- For marriages, only religious part will be allowed with presence of maximum of 20 (twenty) persons. No reception parties will be allowed before or after the marriage;
- At all religious places, congregation of not more than five persons shall be allowed at any time;
- Total restrictions on movement of persons at public places shall be imposed from 6 PM (1800 Hrs.) to 5 AM (0500 Hrs.) on all days except for persons engaged in essential and emergency services.
- District Magistrates and Commissioner of Police, Guwahati will issue orders under Cr.PC (Section 144) to the same effect.
- Restaurants, Dhabas and other eateries can entertain dine-in guest only up to 2.00 PM. Takeaway including home delivery of food is allowed till 6.00 PM after which only home delivery of food will be allowed.
- Restaurants operating within a Hotel or Resort can allow outside guests up to 2.00 PM only. However, in-house guests of the Hotel/Resort may be allowed to dine-in up to the usual time of operation.
- Delivery of essential goods through e-Commerce may continue with observance of COVID appropriate behavior.
- Cold storages and warehouses may continue after 2.00 PM. However, sale counters, showrooms etc. attached to these warehouses or cold storages shall not operate after 2.00 PM.
- Further, the District Magistrates will declare an area or a city or district or well defined parts thereof as containment zones if the test positivity of COVID -19 in such areas reaches 10% or more in the last one week or bed occupancy either oxygen supported or ICU beds crosses 60%. In the event of declaration of containment zones, the Districts have been directed to enforce strict restrictions as per directives issued by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, GOI on April 25, 2021.
The order comes a day after Assam reported 4,489 new COVID-19 cases pushing the coronavirus tally to 2,63,450, a National Health Mission (NHM) bulletin said.
The COVID-19 death toll in the state rose to 1,389 as 29 more persons succumbed to the infection during the day, it said.
The 4,489 new COVID-19 cases were detected out of 55,939 samples tested during the day, it said, adding that the daily positivity rate reached 10.01 per cent.
