BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh will have a lockdown every Sunday from March 21 in Bhopal, Indore and Jabalpur. It will start at 10.00 pm on Saturday and carry on till Monday morning. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reviewed the corona update on Friday. Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had imposed a nationwide lock down on March 24, 2020. The lockdown was lifted in August, 2020.
Besides, schools and colleges will remain closed till March 31. However, examinations will be unaffected. Similarly, essential services will remain unaffected in these cities. During the lockdown, social gatherings and other functions will be allowed only after administrative permission.
Transportation of essential commodities, raw material for industries, factory workers and sick persons will be permitted. Similarly, students of competitive examinations arriving from railway stations and airports will be exempted during the lockdown. ACS (health) Mohmmed Suleman informed a meeting that the corona-positive rate had increased to 5.5 per cent and 21,000 tests were conducted.” The state government has taken strict steps to curb the increasing number of corona-afflicted in the state. Earlier, a decision was taken on closing business establishments in 10 districts, including the four major cities of Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior and Jabalpur. The entry of passenger buses into the state from Maharashtra has been banned. Mass celebrations for the Holi festival has already been banned. For indoor assembly, the number of people permitted has also been restricted. The administration has been instructed to strictly implement Covid protocols, such as putting on masks and maintaining social distancing at marketplaces. The administration has already been instructed to solicit support from spiritual leaders for implementation of protocols and motivation of people to get vaccinated. On Saturday, 5 lakh doses of vaccine was fixed as a target at a mass vaccination campaign at people’s doorstep.