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Our Correspondent
Kohima, June 30 (EMN): Following the decision of the High Power Committee (HPC) to relax lockdown regulations and allow re-opening of more economic activities in a phased manner starting from July 1, Chief Secretary J Alam on Wednesday issued additional guidelines to be followed during the 10-day “Unlock 1” period.
The government of Nagaland announced “Unlock 1” on June 28, nearly one-and-a-half months after the lockdown was imposed amid the raging second wave of Covid-19, considering the hardships faced by the general public and the disruption caused to various economic activities.
According to the new guidelines, movement of all people and vehicles will be allowed between 4 am and 7 pm during the ‘unlock 1’ period from July 1 to the 10th, provided people wear mask. Curfew has been reduced from 7 pm to 4 am against the existing 4 pm to 5 am and only those permitted as per the existing lockdown measures are exempted.
It stated that mass public transportation and inter-district movement of people for non-essential services would continue to remain suspended.
Shops and business establishments dealing with all kind of goods, items or articles are permitted to open from 6 am to 2 pm, but only those dealing with essential goods and commodities such as vegetables, fish, meat, milk booths, bakeries, local grocery stores, public utility services like LPG and e-Commerce services etc. can open on all days. Other shops will be allowed to open on alternate days on a rotational basis which will be arranged by the respective district task forces.
Besides keeping hand sanitisers for visitors and ensuring Covid-appropriate behaviour at all times, shops have been asked to display vaccination status of all the persons running the shop.
‘Barber shops and salons etc. where close physical interaction can’t be avoided will be allowed to open after ensuring vaccination of the persons or attendants running them by the respective district task forces,’ said the guideline.
All government offices in the state will operate with 50% attendance of staff by adhering to SOP, while the remaining half will work from home and be available on phone or on email for dealing with any urgent office work. Private offices too have been allowed to function with up to 50% attendance of staff.
The guideline stated that not more than 50 persons will be allowed at weddings, funerals and sports training. Religious places too can open subject to an attendance of not more than 50 persons.
It went on to inform that district task forces could impose additional stricter measures in particular areas, wards, villages, towns, entire district etc. based on the local situation if that’s required to for containing the spread of the virus.
The HPC was of the opinion that despite the gradual decline in new cases, certain restrictive measures were still necessary to contain the spread of the pandemic as the seven-day moving average of positivity rate continues to hover above 5%, registering 9% in the previous week ending June 25.
It may also be mentioned that the state government imposed lockdown from May 11 onwards
in an attempt to contain the transmission of the deadly virus, before extending multiple times after reviewing the pandemic situation in the state.