Gurugram offices yet to get nod to open from Monday

Siddharth Tiwari & Vishakha Chaman | TNN | Updated: May 3, 2020, 12:41 IST

An aerial view of Gurugram's Cyber Hub area.

GURUGRAM: Warning of ‘tough decisions’ in the days ahead, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday said Gurugram will continue to have restrictions in place since it is an “important city” and the government did not want to take any risk.
Emphasising that the state could not let its guard down in its fight against Covid-19, the CM ruled out easing of the strict border curbs, saying they were necessary as many cases were linked to people coming from Delhi, citing the movement of those involved in essential services, Tablighi Jamaat attendees and those frequenting Azadpur Mandi in Delhi for the rise in Covid cases in Gurugram and Faridabad and other Haryana districts bordering Delhi.
“We are controlling the situation, but if it gets out of hand, it will impact the entire state. These are tough decisions but we need to ensure nobody enters as a coronavirus carrier and derails our efforts in stabilising the situation,” Khattar said.
In Gurugram, which went from the red to the orange zone on Friday, there has been no easing of lockdown restrictions till now, other than permissions to nearly 1,300 shops and 500 factories to open. Officials said a government order on relaxations, if any, was expected on Sunday after a meeting of central government officials with chief secretaries of the states. All establishments other than standalone shops will need permission to reopen, said officials.
“Based on the ground situation in each district, we will decide the restrictions and what kind of relaxations can be permitted,” Khattar said.
In line with this, the Gurugram administration said as of Saturday night, private offices won’t be allowed, even with 33% of staff strength, to operate from Monday. “The understanding is that nothing is allowed. It may change on Sunday with more clarity. Industries, IT firms and other commercial establishments require permissions to operate, as do private offices. However, for now, nobody should open their offices on Monday,” said additional chief secretary and GMDA chief VS Kundu, who heads the Covid monitoring committee in the district.
Gurugram is yet to lift some of the restrictions that have been eased for orange zones. For instance, cabs, even though permitted with one driver and one passenger in such zones, have not been allowed in the city so far, and neither have two-wheelers and cars with two people. Public transport like buses, although permitted with 50% seating in orange zones, remains suspended in Gurugram.
The district administration is also yet to take a call on whether domestic helps will be allowed or not. However, services like electricians, plumbers and AC mechanics will continue to be allowed.
Meanwhile, running of schools, colleges and other educational and training/coaching institutions will not be permitted. Similarly, all places of large public gatherings, such as cinema halls, malls, gymnasiums, sports complexes, and places of worship will remain closed.