A 14-day long ‘total lockdown’ began in all areas falling under Assam’s Kamrup Metro district including Guwahati from 7 pm on Sunday in a bid to arrest the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the state.
According to the health department, the lockdown, which will be very stringent during the first seven days with only pharmacies, hospitals and medical labs allowed to operate, will be over at 6 pm on July 12.
All offices - government and private - will remain closed during the lockdown, all shops and business establishments and industries will also remain shut, private and public vehicles will not be allowed to ply, all hotels, educational institutions and religious places will also remain shut, said a government order.
No functions of any kind will be allowed and only 20 people can take part in the last rites or funeral. No grocery, fruit and vegetable shop and establishments selling meat-poultry products will be allowed to open.
Exemptions to these curbs include movement of defence and police personnel, government officials involved in important duties, fire services, disaster management, electricity, water supply, garbage disposal, health workers, banks (with skeletal staff), ATMs, milk supply, baby products, medicines, telecommunication, print and electronic media and train and air services.
{{/usCountry}}Exemptions to these curbs include movement of defence and police personnel, government officials involved in important duties, fire services, disaster management, electricity, water supply, garbage disposal, health workers, banks (with skeletal staff), ATMs, milk supply, baby products, medicines, telecommunication, print and electronic media and train and air services.
{{/usCountry}}Only those hotels used for quarantine and by crew of airlines will be allowed to operate, government directorates and secretariat will function with skeletal staff and petrol pumps allowed to open.
Till Saturday, Assam had recorded 7,165 Covid-19 positive cases with nine deaths and 4, 814 recoveries. In the past two weeks Guwahati has recorded over 800 positive cases and more than 700 of them are of people with no travel history.