Raipur: Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in Chhattisgarh, restrictions have been imposed on shops remaining open after 9 pm in several districts, including Raipur, while some areas will see night curfew from Tuesday.
The order issued by the administration in various districts said the operation of all kind of temporary and permanent shops will be allowed from 6 am to 9 pm, while restaurants, dhabas and hotels can remain open between 8 am and 10 pm for indoor dining, a public relations department official said.
"However, restaurants, dhabas and hotels can provide takeaway parcels and home delivery services till 11:30 pm. In some districts, shops have been allowed to function from 6 am to 8 pm. Petrol pumps and medicine stores have been exempted from the restrictions," he added.
In Raipur, all businessmen, employees and customers will have to wear masks and ensure strict compliance of social distancing protocol in their premises, he said, adding that shops and the commercial establishment will have to ensure the arrangement of sanitisers in their premises.
In case any area is declared as a containment zone, then all shops and the commercial establishment will remain shut there till further orders, and violation of guidelines would result in the closure of the concerned shop for 15 days and also attract legal action, the order by the Raipur administration added.
Similar orders have been issued in Durg, Gaurela- Pendra-Marwahi (GPM), Sukma, Raigarh, Korba, Mungeli etc, though the orders issued in these districts did not mention the imposition of night curfew.
Similar timings have been fixed for operating shops, restaurants and hotels in Rajnandgaon, Surguja, Surajpur, Jashpur and Bastar districts, where night curfew would also be enforced, the official informed.
Till Monday, the state had recorded 3,41,516 COVID-19 cases, with the active caseload being 20,181 as 3,17,239 people had recovered and 4,096 have died.
The state has reported over 23,000 COVID-19 cases in the last two weeks, with most of them from Raipur, Durg, Rajnandgaon and Bilaspur districts.
The local administration has already imposed CrPC section 144, which bars an assembly of four or more people, in several districts like Raipur, Durg, Bastar, Rajnandgaon and Bilaspur.
(With inputs from agency)
