Panaji: As part of ‘Unlock 1’, restaurants, places of worship, shopping malls and hotels have been allowed by the state government to reopen from Monday.
These have been allowed to open but their managements will have to strictly follow the standard operating procedure issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) disease.
It is pertinent to note that the managements of many religious institutions have deferred the reopening of their premises in wake of a spike in COVID-19 cases in the state.
Both District Collectors have issued orders restricting movement of all individuals for all non-essential activities between from 9 pm and 5 am. The restrictions have been imposed considering the prevailing situation in the country due to the health emergency posed by COVID-19. The Collectors have continued the ban on activities like gymnasiums, sports complexes, auditoriums/community halls, assembly halls and similar places.
The ban will also continue on openings of bars, schools, colleges, educational/training coaching institutions, cinema halls/theatres, swimming pools and social-political /entertainment /academic/cultural/religious functions other and large congregations.
Casinos, river cruises, multiplexes, consumption of liquor in public places, entertainment parks, spa and massage parlours will also continue to remain closed in the state. Ban will also continue on the sale and consumption of pan, gutkha and tobacco in public places.
Revenue Secretary Sanjay Kumar, addressing a press conference in Panaji, said it will be mandatory for the hotels, restaurants and other facilities that have been allowed to open from Monday to comply with the guidelines of the government.
Health Secretary Nila Mohanan said the Directorate of Food and Drugs Administration has been asked to issue guidelines for the openings of restaurants in the state.
PTI ADDS FROM NEW DELHI: A token system for regulated entry and no physical offerings like ‘prasad’ will be some of the norms as shopping malls, religious places, hotels and restaurants are set to reopen in most states from Monday after over two months that could pose new challenges to check the spread of the coronavirus.
As India prepares for a calibrated exit from the lockdown by easing more restrictions, ‘Unlock-1’ – the first of the three-phase plan for reopening of prohibited activities in non-containment zones with a stringent set of Standard Operating Procedures – kicks in at a time when the country recorded a daily jump of COVID-19 cases by over 9,000 for the fifth straight day on Sunday. The SOPs will be in place till June 30. India registered its highest single-day spike of 9,971 new infections taking the total to 2,46,628 and 287 deaths in the 24 hours since Saturday morning, the Union Health Ministry said. The death toll stood at 6,929, it said. The number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 1,20,406 while a total of 1,19,292 people had recovered and one patient has migrated, the ministry added. Around 48.37 per cent of the patients have recovered so far, a senior ministry official said.