Shops in Kangra to close down at 7 pm

Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, January 10

Kangra district administration has ordered shops in the district to shut down by 7 pm—a development that comes as the district witnesses a rise in Covid-19 cases.

Kangra’s Deputy Commissioner Nipun Jindal said shops must remain closed till 5 pm..  Social and religious gatherings are banned as langars, community kitchens and dhaams.  Restaurants, dhabhas, and eateries can remain open until 10 pm. Pharmacies can remain open for 24 hours.

Health authorities in the district have been ordered to conduct random Covid testing on people found without masks.  

Kangra district’s positivity rate is currently 7 per cent.

The administration imposed limits on other gatherings for academic, sports, entertainment, cultural or political purposes—50 percent of seating capacity but nor more than 100 people for indoor congregations and 300 people for outdoor ones.

Such gatherings need the Sub-divisional Magistrate’s permission and must strictly adhere to Covid protocols—masks, social distancing, and santisation mandates.

Government offices, public sector units, and local bodies must stick to a five-day workweek until further orders and must remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

Government offices must function at 50 per cent of their staff strength.

The order will not apply to emergency and essential services including health, police, fire, banks, electricity, water and sanitation, public transport, telecom, and excise.

All educational institutions—schools, colleges, universities, and coaching centers—will remain closed till January 26. However, nursing and medical colleges will remain open.