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Celebrate Eid-ul-Adha at home, say Covid guidelines in Assam

As per the new guidelines, which will become applicable from 5am on Tuesday, five of Assam’s 33 districts -- Golaghat, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur and Biswanath -- will continue to be under a total lockdown

Published on: Jul 19, 2021, 15:36:26 IST
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The Assam government has asked people to celebrate Eid-ul-Adha festival, which falls this Wednesday, at home this year.

Beneficiaries wait in a queue to receive for Covid-19 vaccine dose, at a centrein Guwahati earlier this month. (PTI)
Beneficiaries wait in a queue to receive for Covid-19 vaccine dose, at a centrein Guwahati earlier this month. (PTI)

“All persons to celebrate Eid from their homes. Religious rituals e.g; Namaaz at mosque is allowed with not more than five persons including the religious head,” said the new Covid-19 guidelines issued by Chief Secretary Jishnu Barua on Monday.

As per the new guidelines, which will become applicable from 5am on Tuesday, five of Assam’s 33 districts -- Golaghat, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur and Biswanath -- will continue to be under a total lockdown. Restrictions have been eased in Goalpara and Morigaon districts which will now have a daily curfew from 1pm to 5pm.

All other districts in the state will continue to have 12-hour daily curfew from 5pm to 5am. All shops, business establishments, offices etc. will have to close one hour ahead of the curfew timings.

“The situation of Covid-19 in the state has been comprehensively reviewed and [it was] observed that, though few districts have shown improvement in the positivity rate, the number of active cases and positivity rate is still high in some districts,” the order read.

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Government employees who have taken at least one dose of Covid vaccine will have to attend office except in containment zones. Employees who have not taken vaccine will have to attend office as and when their services are required.

Organisations and employees providing emergency services will continue to operate without restrictions. Pregnant women employees and or women who have children below 5 years of age will be allowed to work from home. Persons with disabilities shall be exempted from attending duties.

Odd-even formula for private vehicles will continue in urban areas and the ban on inter-district movement will also remain. There would be a ban on public and private transport in districts under total lockdown. In other districts, they will be allowed to operate while following Covid appropriate behaviour.

All religious places will continue to remain closed for devotees. In districts not under total lockdown, the number of attendees of marriages and funerals has been capped at 10.

On Sunday, Assam recorded 1,329 new cases and 15 deaths. The test positivity rate, which refers to the proportion of tests returning positive to the total number of tests conducted for a particular infection, stood at 1.86%. The state has over 16,000 active cases at present.

  • Utpal Parashar
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Utpal Parashar

    A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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