Jharkhand extends lockdown-like restrictions till 3 June. Details here
Premium- Cinema halls, multiplexes, stadiums, gymnasiums, swimming pools and parks, among others, had also been closed in the state
The Jharkhand government today extended the lockdown-like restrictions with stricter provisions,including 7 days mandatory quarantine for people visiting the state, till 3 June, officials said. Earlier the restrictions were in place till 27 May.
The restrictions, first imposed on 22 April were enlarged till May 13 and then till May 27 now stand further extended till June 3 with harsh provisions that include suspension of bus services.
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The decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the State Disaster Management Authority, chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
The curbs imposed as ''Health Safety Week'' from May 16 will have firm conditions while previous restrictions that were announced till May 13 will now continue till May 16, an official said.
"The new restrictions include mandatory 7 days home or institutional quarantine for people visiting the state barring those who will leave the state within 72 hours," a state government official said.
Operations of inter-state and intra-state buses have been suspended while private vehicles will have to obtain e- passes for plying.
The state has already prohibited all indoor and outdoor congregations of more than five persons.
The restrictions first imposed as Health Safety Week till April 28 had been expanded earlier till May 6 and then till May 13.
All education centres and coaching institutions were closed and all examinations postponed.
Cinema halls, multiplexes, stadiums, gymnasiums, swimming pools and parks, among others, had also been closed in the state.
Agriculture, industries and mining operations were functioning while essential and emergency services were exempted.
Jharkhand on Tuesday registered 33 deaths due to COVID-19, the lowest in a single day in May, pushing the toll to 4,871, a health department bulletin said.
The state also recorded 1,394 new coronavirus cases, which took the tally to 3,31,811, it said.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren said the state has been successful in breaking the chain of the COVID-19 infection in cities and towns, and now the thrust is on rural areas.
In urban areas, the spread of the disease has been arrested to a greater extent and the number of fresh cases has reduced drastically to around 2,000 from earlier 15,000-20,000 a day, the CM said.
The war against the second wave will not be over if a single death due to the contagion takes place, he said.
The state had on May 2 registered 159 fatalities due to COVID-19, the highest in a single day in the current month.
State capital Ranchi, which has been severely impacted by the pandemic, recorded 11 deaths in the last 24 hours, followed by East Singhbhum (5) and Bokaro (4). The remaining fresh fatalities were reported from several other districts.
No one succumbed to the disease during the period in 11 of 24 districts of the state.
However, the mortality rate in the state remained at 1.46 per cent, higher than the national average of 1.10 per cent.
"As far as the death rates are concerned, we are at the top among the states in the country. UP and Bihar are reporting fewer fatalities but you can assess. Many states are manipulating data but the priority of our government is to ensure transparency and we will take all possible steps to contain the spread of the disease," Soren said.
The government is making all efforts to save both human lives and their livelihood, he said.
The recovery rate among coronavirus patients in the state has improved to 93.23 per cent, better than the national average of 88.70 per cent.
The state now has 17,569 active cases, while 3,09,371 patients have recovered from the infection, the bulletin said.
Altogether, 81,48,792 samples have been tested for COVID-19 in Jharkhand, including 48,088 since Monday, it added.
In a bid to combat the second wave of COVID-19, the government has imposed a lockdown till May 27.
Several other restrictions, including seven-day mandatory quarantine for people visiting the state, have been in place.
The state has also suspended the operation of the intra and inter-city bus services and restricted the maximum number of attendees in a wedding event to 11.
The Jharkhand government has constituted block-level task forces, besides launching a free vaccination drive for people in the age group of 18 to 44 years on May 14.
Over 1.57 crore people in the state are in the 18-44 years age bracket.
The state government could not roll out the inoculation drive for these people from May 1 as it was facing a shortage of vaccines.
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