According to state government orders, a lockdown has been imposed in four districts of Uttarakhand on weekends because of the continued spread of coronavirus in the state. Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar are the four districts where the lockdown has been imposed. As per the government orders, these places will remain under lockdown over the weekends i.e Saturday and Sunday. However, like previous lockdowns, essential services will continue to function in these areas.

Earlier, liquor shops had been declared as essential services by the government so these would be open over the weekends.

Out of the four districts Haridwar has been completely sealed till July 20 as there was a sudden rise in the number of coronavirus cases in that district.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said: "In view of the rising number of COVID cases, it has become more important than ever to break the chain of transmission, hence the lockdown has been imposed on Saturday and Sunday."

He further added, "Essential services including operation of industrial units in multiple shifts, agricultural and construction activities, liquor shops, hotels, movement of persons and vehicles associated with these activities will be exempted from the lockdown,".

Also according to the state government guidelines, it is mandatory for all inbound person from other states to register themselves on the Smart City web portal before entering the state. There is no permit that is currently required for travel to or from Uttrakhand but according to government orders registration documents will be verified at the border check posts on entry/exit points.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand has reported 1,013 active cases of coronavirus (as of 8 am, July 18), according to the Health Ministry. Total deaths stood at 51 As many as 3,021 patients have been cured or discharged.