Amid a surge in coronavirus cases, the Rajasthan government on Thursday announced a strict lockdown in the state from May 10 to 24 under which marriage functions, intrastate movement and MGNREGA works have also been suspended.
Marriage functions will be allowed only after May 31. The advance booking amount given to marriage gardens, bands etc. will be either returned or adjusted later, the government said.
However, marriages will be permitted during this period only in courts or at home in the presence of maximum of 11 people, according to a state cabinet decision.
The decision to impose a "strict lockdown" was taken at a virtual cabinet meeting Thursday night.
Chief Minster Ashok Gehlot said the lockdown will be in force from 5 am on May 10 to 5 am on May 24.
All MGNREGA works and intrastate movement will be restricted during the period. Barring emergency vehicles, no other vehicle, both private and public transport, will be permitted. Places of worship will be closed, MGNREGA works will be suspended and movement from one city/village to another city/village within the state will be prohibited.
Many restrictions were already in force in the state under ''Red Alert Public Discipline Fortnight'' which have been made stringent on the basis of the suggestions given by the group of five ministers during the meeting.
Those coming from outside the state will have to produce a negative RT-PCR test report. In case there is no negative report, the person will be quarantined for 15 days.
In order to prevent migration of workers, they will be permitted in factories and special buses will be operated for the workers of factories/construction sites.
Shops which have been permitted to open as per the earlier guidelines will continue to open.
During the meeting, the ministers expressed concern on the shortage of oxygen. It was informed in the meeting that work orders for the purchase of 47,000 oxygen concentrators have been issued.
The state witnessed a surge in coronavirus cases over the past few days.
It reported 161 coronavirus-related deaths and 17,532 fresh cases on Thursday, pushing the death count to 5,182 and the infection count to 7,02,568, according to an official report.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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