Bihar Lockdown: CM Nitish Kumar to give more relaxations, announcement awaited

Patna: The Bihar government had extended the COVID-19 lockdown in the state till June 8 to contain the spread of the virus. The government, however, had given some relaxation in order to facilitate business activities. 

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made the announcement from his Twitter after chairing a meeting of the crisis management group that comprises his cabinet colleagues and top officials. 

“In view of the corona outbreak, a decision has been taken to extend the lockdown by a week, till June 8. However, some extra concessions will be made for business activities. People are requested to wear masks and maintain social distancing,” CM Kumar tweeted in Hindi. 

As cases dip in the state, CM Nitish Kumar is likely to make some new announcements on June 8. 

According to the reports, the Bihar government might announce Lockdown-5 with some more relaxations. The decision will be made on Tuesday after proper consultation with the disaster management group.

At present, the shops in urban and rural areas are allowed to open from 6 am to 2 pm which might get extended. Shops will be allowed to open till 4 pm or later.

Bihar’s COVID-19 tally rose to 7,13,117 on Sunday as the state reported 920 fresh cases, the lowest single-day spike in over two months, while 41 fresh fatalities pushed the coronavirus death toll to 5,381, a health bulletin said. 

The state now has 8,707 active cases while 6,99,028 people have been cured of the disease so far, taking the recovery rate to 98.02 per cent. 

A total of 1.11 crore people have been vaccinated thus far, of whom nearly 20 lakh are in the 18-44 years age group.