Sikkim set for a week’s lockdown starting today

SILIGURI: Amid a spike in

Covid-19

cases in

Sikkim

, the Himalayan state has decided on a complete

lockdown

from Tuesday to July 27 in an attempt to check spread of the infectious disease.


Chief minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) chaired a meeting of the task force on Monday, and the state home department issued a notice announcing the week-long complete lockdown beginning 6am on July 21.

During this period, all offices — except those providing essential and emergency services, including treasury, banking, PDS, law and order, and disaster management — would remain closed. No religious and social activities, except marriages and last rites, would be allowed.

Not more than 20 people will be allowed to gather for marriages and funerals, with prior information to police, says a notification issued by chief secretary S C Gupta.

The

district magistrate

(DM) concerned would enforce night curfew from 7.30pm to 6am and restrict movement of people and vehicles, and ensure compliance with norms of social distancing, public hygiene and use of Aarogya Setu app, the notification further says. Only vehicles carrying essential supplies and for emergency services would be allowed to ply.

Inter-state movement would be regulated by specific instructions from the district administration. All educational, training and coaching institutes would remain closed till August 31.

The notification further says: “Shops dealing with essential commodities will be allowed to remain open from 8am to 5pm daily while the medicine shops will remain open till 7pm. Movement of people and vehicles required for all essential and emergency services and the movement of people and vehicles like private and taxis required for medical emergency will be allowed.”

The DMs would also ensure compliance of orders, issued in keeping with GoI guidelines, applicable to containment zones. According to health officials, Sikkim has reported 283 Covid cases, of which 193 are active while 90 patients have been cured and discharged till Monday, when 10 fresh cases were reported.