BIHAR ANNOUNCES 10-DAY LOCKDOWN AFTER HC NUDGE

PATNA: The Bihar government on Tuesday announced a statewide lockdown for 10 days from May 5 amid a massive surge in Covid-19 cases.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Crisis Management Group presided over by chief secretary Tripurari Sharan on Monday. The move came a day after the Patna high court criticised the government over its poor handling of the second wave of the pandemic.

“After holding discussions with various ministers and officials yesterday, we decided to implement the lockdown in Bihar till May 15, 2021,” Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar tweeted. Chief secretary Tripurari Sharan announced that all government and private offices will remain closed during the period.

Hospitals, medical laboratories and ambulance services have been exempted. Essential services such as civil defence, electricity supply, water supply, fire services, veterinary work, postal and telecommunication will also continue to operate.

Industrial and construction work, besides agricultural activities, e-commerce, courier services have also been allowed during the period. The shops dealing with grocery items and retail outlets dealing with vegetables, fruits, etc., will remain open from 7am to 11am.