Omicron spread: Haryana extends Covid-19 curbs across the state

Amid a spurt in Covid cases, the Haryana government on Thursday extended various restrictions in all over the state.

The restrictions imposed by January 5 order in "Group A" districts, which had witnessed a big spike in cases, shall now be imposed in all districts, the Haryana State Disaster Management Authority (HSDMA) said.

The guidelines released through orders on January 5 and 10 too shall continue to be imposed in the state, it added.

Earlier on January 10, amid the rising COVID-19 cases, the Haryana government had banned large gatherings of people such as rallies and protests and extended existing restrictions including the closure of cinema halls and sports complexes to eight more districts.

The order issued by the HSDMA had said the restrictions will be applicable till 5 am on January 19.

On Monday, the eight new districts where the restrictions became applicable included Sirsa, Rewari, Jind, Bhiwani and Hisar.

Earlier, these restrictions were imposed in eleven districts including Karnal, Panipat, Rohtak, Jhajjar, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ambala, Panchkula and Sonipat.

Now, all these restrictions have been extended to all the 22 districts in the state.

Cinema halls, theatres and multiplexes shall remain closed, the earlier order issued on January 5 had stated.

"Hence, restrictions imposed in Group 'A' districts (other 11 districts) vide order dated January 5, shall also be imposed in these (eight districts)," said the earlier order.

As per earlier guidelines, the malls and markets are allowed to open till 6 pm. However, shops selling essential items like milk and medicine will be allowed to open at all times to enable them to serve the public at large.

All sports complexes, swimming pools and stadia shall remain closed except when being used for training of sportspersons for participation in national and international events, the earlier order had said.

All entertainment parks and B2B exhibitions are prohibited, it had said.

The government and private offices, except for emergency / essential services, have been advised to function with 50 per cent staff attendance.

Haryana has witnessed a huge spike in Covid cases over the past fortnight.

There was no let-up in the rising trend of the COVID-19 cases in Haryana, with 7,591 fresh infections and two fatalities reported on January 13.

The total number of active cases in the state now stands at over 35,979.

To check the spread of the viral infection, the state government has banned people eligible for vaccination but not fully vaccinated from entering shopping malls, cinema halls, restaurants and grain markets, among other crowded places, starting January 1.

A night curfew from 11 pm to 5 am is already in force in the state.