Bihar govt orders closure of malls and gyms, restricts mass

The Bihar government on Wednesday ordered all shopping malls, gyms, spas and swimming pools across the state to suspend their operations till March 31 in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

Invoking the "Bihar Epidemic Diseases, COVID 19 Regulations, 2020" that came into force on Tuesday, the state government said in a notification that the restrictions were "with immediate effect".

It also restricted "all mass gatherings, including family gatherings except marriages" to a "maximum of 50 persons".

The order also directed "major shops and restaurants" to carry out disinfection twice a day, ensure ample availability of hand sanitizers for visitors and allow "entry only after cleaning of hands".

The notification made it clear that all premises which "cater to more than 10 persons at a time" shall be deemed to be "major" establishments.

It also directed all private hospitals in the state to report suspected coronavirus cases to district civil surgeons within three hours of examination.

The stringent regulation to tackle the coronavirus pandemic includes provisions for empowering authorised officials to "forcefully admit and isolate" a person suspected of carrying the infection but reluctant to undergo medical supervision.

The government had last week ordered closure of all schools, colleges, coaching institutes, cinema halls, zoos, museums and parks till March 31 as a preventive measure.

The East Central Railway Zone headquartered at Hajipur in the state, has hiked price of platform tickets from Rs 10 to Rs 50 a piece at 50 stations in five divisions under its jurisdiction in a bid to avoid crowding in the wake of the coronavirus threat.

The raising of price of platform tickets to Rs 50, which was ordered for 13 stations including Patna junction in the Danapur division on Tuesday, was extended to stations under four other divisions on Wednesday.

In a release, ECR Chief Public Relations Officer Rajesh Kumar said the hiked platform ticket prices will come into effect on different days and end on different days in the divisions.

Giving break-up of stations, he said the hike will be effective in 13 stations under the Danapur division, six in the Deendayal Upadhyay division, 11 in the Danbhad division, eight in the Sonepur division and 12 in the Samastipur division.

Kumar said the hike starting from midnight of March 19 in stations under Danapur division will be in operation till further orders.

Besides the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction, in adjoining Uttar Pradesh, the Gaya, Sasaram, Dehri on Sone, Anugraha Narayan Road (Aurangabad) and Bhabhua stations falling under the Deendayal Upadhyay division will have platform tickets at the hiked price from the time CRIS updates the computer system till April 15.

Thirteen stations, including Dhanbad, Gomo, Sigrauli, Parasnath, Koderma, Daldanganj, Chandrapura, Barkakana, Gadwa Road, Renukut and Chopan, under the Dhanbad division will provide platform tickets at Rs 50 a piece from March 19 midnight till April 30.

In Sonepur division, stations, including Muzaffarpur, Hajipur, Barauni, Khagaria, Sonepur, Begusarai, Mansi and Naughachia, from March 19 midnight till March 31, the release said.

Those under Samastipur, including Saharsa, Darbhanga, Samastipur, Raxual, Sitamarhi, Bapudham, Motihari, Bettiah, Jaynagar, Narkatiaganj, Sagauli and Madhubani, from March 19 midnight till March 31, it added.

In other stations under the five divisions, the platform tickets will be sold at the existing cost of Rs 10 each, Kumar said.

The state government has earmarked Hotel Patliputra as a 300-bed isolation centre for novel coronavirus patients.