The Assam government on Tuesday advanced the night curfew to 6 pm from the current 8 pm with restrictions imposed on the movement of people at public places from Wednesday, to contain the surge of COVID-19 cases.
Chief Secretary Jishnu Baruah who is also the Chairperson of Assam State Disaster Authority issued the order after reviewing the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the state.
He directed that total restrictions from 6 pm to 5 am be imposed with District Magistrates and Commissioner of Police, Guwahati to issue orders under Cr.PC (Section 144) to the same effect.
The order will come into effect from Wednesday and remain in force till further orders.
Night curfew was imposed on April 27 till May one and on April 30, it was further extended to May seven.
All shops and commercial establishments shall shut down at 2 pm on all days and no meeting/gathering at any open or closed spaces shall be allowed.
All offices both private and government shall shut down at 2 pm on all days and this will not be applicable for organizations rendering essential and emergency services, law enforcing services and election work.
No meeting/gathering at any open or closed spaces shall be allowed, and for marriages, only the religious part will be allowed with a presence of maximum of 20 persons with no reception parties allowed before or after the marriage.
At all religious places, congregation of not more than five persons shall be allowed at any time.
Restaurants, dhabas and other eateries can entertain dine-in guests only up to 2 pm. Takeaway including home delivery of food is allowed till 6 pm after which only home delivery of food will be allowed.
Restaurants operating within a hotel or resort can allow outside guests up to 2 pm only though in-house guests may be allowed to dine-in up to the usual time of operation.
Delivery of essential goods through e-commerce may continue with observance of COVID appropriate behaviour.
Cold storages and warehouses may continue after 2 pm.
However, sale counters, showrooms, etc, attached to these warehouses or cold storages shall not operate after 2 pm.
District Magistrates will declare an area or a city or district or well defined parts thereof as containment zones if the test positivity of COVID-19 in such areas reaches 10 per cent or more in the last one week or bed occupancy either oxygen supported or ICU beds crosses 60 per cent.
In the event of declaration of containment zones, the district administrations have been directed to enforce strict restrictions as per directives issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on April 25, 2021.
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