All shopping malls shall remain closed on weekends

As Covid cases continue to rise, weekend restrictions are back across Haryana. The state government Friday announced closure of all offices and shops, except those dealing in essential services, on Saturday and Sunday. The restrictions will come into effect from August 22 and remain till further orders.

“All offices and shops except essential will remain closed in Haryana every Saturday and Sunday due to Covid-19,” tweeted state Health and Home Minister Anil Vij. The state has not yet decided if there will be any restrictions on movement of people on roads.

The decision comes on a day when Haryana witnessed its biggest single-day spike of 1,203 new cases and seven deaths in the last 24 hours. At least four districts including Faridabad (127) and Gurgaon (120) reported a spike in new cases over the last 24 hours. The total count in Haryana has reached 52,129 cases and the death toll is at 585.

On Thursday, CM Manohar Lal Khattar had gone into home-quarantine as a “precautionary measure”. He tested negative for Covid.

Talking to The Indian Express, Vij said, “Despite best efforts, cases continue to rise. There is a need to reimpose weekend restrictions. We hope that by doing this, at least the chain will be broken. There will be some impact.”

After Vij’s announcement, Chief Secretary Keshni Anand Arora issued formal orders imposing restrictions. “… all public and private offices, except those dealing with essential goods and services, and all shopping malls and shops in the market area, except those dealing with essential goods and services, shall remain closed on Saturday and Sunday throughout the territory of Haryana. All other national directives and SOPs issued by National Disaster Management Authority for Covid-19 management that are currently in force shall continue to be strictly followed,” the order read.