Faced with a second wave of Covid and a faster spread of infection, the Himachal Pradesh government on Friday closed down all educational institutions, including universities, colleges, technical institutes and schools except for those holding examinations.
The fresh orders, issued after a high-level review meeting, will remain effective till April 4.
“This is a precautionary measure keeping in view the spike in Covid-19 cases in the state. The government is keeping a close watch on the daily rise in the districts. If the situation demands, more steps will be taken,” said Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur here.
He said the number of cases in the past 20 days has gone from 219 to 2,000. This is the fastest spread of the infection as compared to earlier lockdown periods. It’s really a worrying time.
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The chief minister said the schools with residential facilities need not close their hostels, however, they will be asked to comply with all the SOPs to keep the boarders isolated. They will be required to appoint a compliance officer to enforce all the Covid norms. The teachers and other school/college staff would continue to attend the institutions.
Thakur said no social and cultural events will be permitted in the state by the government. The gatherings would be restricted to a maximum of 200 for indoor and 50 per cent for outdoor events.
The nursing and medical institutions would continue to function as usual. The congregations and langars inside the temples would also be banned.
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The state government banned Holi celebrations at public places as a step to break the infection cycle.
“There will be no public celebration of Holi and a holiday has been declared on April 3 for all the offices,” he said and appealed to the people to celebrate Holi at home only with family members.
The chief minister said all the frontline workers would be sensitised to get themselves vaccinated at the earliest and complete their second dose according to schedule.
The government decided that district administrations will take a judicious call on more restrictions keeping in view the positivity and fatality rate in their respective districts.
At least five districts in Himachal Pradesh viz Una, Kangra, Shimla, Solan and Sirmour have seen the biggest spurt in the coronavirus cases after March 17.
Una bordering Punjab has become a hotspot of corona cases in Himachal Pradesh as this semi-hilly district shares its borders with Punjab, where Covid cases have shown a sharp increase.
The deputy commissioner has announced a fine of Rs 5,000 on persons not wearing masks in Una district.
The chief minister, asked about possibilities of a lockdown in the state said, “We will not take any such step which results in halting economic activities unless the situation becomes grim. Tourism and industrial activity in the state has suffered during the lockdown badly. I wish such a situation did not rise again. Yet, we are keeping the options open for a partial lockdown or creating containment zones in hotspot areas.”
