Night curfew discontinued in THIS state till August 23, more relaxations announced, check details

COVID-19 restrictions under `Surakshit Haryana` has been extended till August 23 with some more relaxations, the Haryana government had informed on Sunday.

CHANDIGARH: The Manohar Lal Khattar government in Haryana on Monday discontinued the night curfew imposed in the state to curb the spread of COVID-19 with immediate effect till 5 AM, August 23.

"In continuation of the orders of the State Executive Committee No. DMC-SPO-2020/8743 dated 08 August 2021 relating to Mahamari Alert-Surakshlt Naryana, it is clarified that the 'Night Curfew' imposed in the State (from 11:00 PM to 05:00 AM) has been discontinued with immediate effect till August 23, 2021 (05:00 AM)," the state government said in a statement.

“Haryana government’s 'Mahamari Alert - Surakshit Haryana' has been extended from 5 am of 9th August to 5 am of 23rd August. Gatherings of invitees at the district/sub-divisional level Independence Day functions in the State shall not be of more than 1000 persons subject to strict observance of COVID-19 norms,’’ an official release said.

It is also advised that these functions be held preferably in Stadiums/Police Lines/open spaces which have a seating capacity of more than 5000 persons so that adequate social distancing norms could be observed, the government of Haryana said.

The state government had on Sunday extended the COVID-19 lockdown for two more weeks till 23 August to curb the spread of the pandemic. State's Chief Secretary Vijai Vardhan said that the new guidelines will come into effect from 5 AM on Monday.

Looking at the current positivity rate and dip in the cases, the state government has lifted time-related restrictions and night curfew, the ML Khattar government said. 

Here’s what has been allowed now

According to an order by the Haryana State Disaster Management Authority, restaurants, clubs, bars, gyms, spas, and cinema halls have been allowed to open with 50 per cent of occupancy. 

All shops and malls are allowed to open following social distancing norms, appropriate covid behavior, and regular sanitization, it said. 

The state government permitted gathering in indoor spaces with a maximum of 100 people and up to 200 people in open spaces. It also allowed the opening of offices in the state adhering to strict Covid guidelines.

Apart from this, other relaxations shall continue as stated in an earlier order, which comprises of conducting entrance exams and recruitment exams by colleges and universities pertaining to strict implementation of the order by the state government.

Collages, schools, universities, and coaching classes are allowed to open for doubt clarification and off-line conduction of exams and practicals, the order said. 

Vice-Chancellors of universities in the state are advised to plan re-opening of universities and colleges for the next academic session and also share the program of the same with the concerned departments of the state government, it said. 

The order said people with masks and face covers will only be allowed to board public transport and enter any government or private places for availing types of goods or services.

Haryana's COVID-19 tally had increased to 7,70,079 with 19 fresh cases reported on Sunday, while one more fatality due to the disease pushed the death toll to 9,649, according to the health department bulletin.

Of the fresh cases, five were reported from Faridabad and three from Gurugram, the bulletin stated. The latest death was reported from Kaithal, it said. There are 679 active COVID-19 cases in Haryana. So far, 7,59,751 people have recovered from the disease. The recovery rate stands at 98.66 per cent, the bulletin said.