Shimla: Following the biggest spurt in the Covid during the past three days, the Himachal Pradesh government on Sunday decided to impose Corona curfew in the four districts –Kangra, Una, Solan and Sirmaur, all bordering Punjab.
The night curfew will remain in force from 10 pm to 5 am and will become effective from April 27 till May 10, 2021.
This was decided in a high-level meeting held here on Sunday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.
The government also made it clear that RTPCR tests within 72 hours will be mandatory for all the visitors visiting the state but there will be no checking at the borders.
"It was decided that in case the persons visiting the state have not undergone RTPCR test, they will have to remain in home quarantine/isolation at the place of their residence for fourteen days. He/she will have an option of getting tested after seven days of their arrival, and in case the test comes negative, they do not require to remain quarantined," said Chief Minister here.
The government directed the local bodies, both in urban and rural areas to actively involve in effective enforcement of all the SOPs and guidelines in their respective areas and empowered to initiate legal action against the violators so as to check the spread of this pandemic.
It was also decided that a Special Task Force would be constituted at the local level for effective enforcement of SOPs during all the religious, social, political and cultural gatherings. They would be empowered to initiate strict action against the people violating the guidelines and SOPs issued by the State Government from time to time.
The State Government would keep on reviewing the situation from time to time and decisions would be taken accordingly.
Meanwhile, the health department on Sunday reported a highest 32 deaths in the past 24–hour against 24 on Saturday. There were 26 deaths on Friday. Thus, a total 82 persons have lost their lives in last 72 hours. The total number of active cases in the state has risen to 13,577 against just 219 in February 2021.
Of those who lost their lives on Sunday included 12 in Kangra district and four each in Shimla and Mandi.