India / Uttarakhand extends curfew till June 22; 50 can now attend weddings, funerals

Dehradun: The Uttarakhand government on Monday extended its Covid-19 curfew extended till June 22. The current restrictions were ending on June 15. In its order, the government said that old standard operating procedures (SOPs) will have to be followed, but with some changes.

The Uttarakhand government also allowed people from three districts of the state to undergo the Char Dham Yatra.

"People from Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi are now allowed to visit Badrinath, Kedarnath and Gangotri-Yamunotri respectively only with negative RT-PCR report," Uttarakhand minister Subodh Uniyal said, according to news agency ANI. The famous four Himalayan shrines - after which the Char Dham Yatra has been named - are located in these three districts.

Announcing other relaxations, Uniyal said that the number attendees allowed in weddings and funerals has been increased from 20 to 50.

"Revenue courts have been allowed to open with 20 people, sweet shops can open for five days a week; 50 people allowed at both weddings and funerals. Auto-rickshaw such as Vikram can ply as well," the minister said.

Shops dealing in essential commodities will open daily from 8am to 12pm during the extended curfew. Bars will remain closed till further orders, the state government order said.

All educational and coaching institutes, cinema halls, shopping malls, stadiums, gyms, and restaurants will remain closed during the period. Medicine shops and testing labs will remain open for 24 hours, while banks will be open from 10am to 2pm.

People who are coming from outside the state will have to register on the Smart City portal and produce a negative RT-PCR test report not older than 72 hours on arrival.

Uttarakhand had emerged as one of the coronavirus hotspots in India after the Kumbh Mela this year. However, chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat assured the people of the state that his government has taken all necessary steps to tackle a possible third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Uttarakhand currently has over 4,600 active Covid-19 cases and nearly 7,000 people have lost their lives due to the infection. Meanwhile, over 3.25 lakh people have recovered from the infection in the state.