Chhattisgarh govt imposes Section 144 in Raipur amid rising COVID-19 cases, issues guidelines for Holi

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Raipur: Amid the surge in COVID-19 infections, the Chhattisgarh government has imposed section 144 in the capital, Raipur on Thursday (March 25). The announcement was made by the Raipur collector after monitoring the COVID-19 situation in the capital. 

The state authorities have also issued orders for the travellers or tourists entering the state to stay in the home quarantine for at least seven days.

Additionally, the authorities also issued new guidelines for the celebration of Holi festival. As per the fresh guidelines, use of any kind of sound amplifiers will be prohibited. While no more than five people will be able to participate in the Holika Dahan ceremony in the capital, Holi celebrations or any other programs are completely banned. 

Random inspections will be conducted in multiplexes, talkies, commercial complexes, shopping complexes, malls etc. The government will be taking stricter actions for the proper implementation of the guidelines. 

All tourist places and numerous public places in the state have been ordered to remain closed till further orders. Additionally, the authorities have banned any type of public events, religious events, festivals, social, cultural, political, sports, ceremonies. Also, the number of guests in a wedding has been limited to 50 people.

Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Dev expressed concern on the COVID-19 condition in the state at a press conference on Wednesday. 

Meanwhile, India on Wednesday recorded 47,262 new cases of the novel coronavirus, which is the highest reported single-day rise for the year 2021. This takes the nationwide COVID-19 tally to 1,17,34,058, as per the Union Health Ministry.

While the active caseload too rose sharply for the 14th consecutive day and was recorded at 3,68,457, comprising 3.14 per cent of the total infections. The recovery rate further dropped to 95.49 per cent, the ministry said in an update.