Bihar Lockdown: Government extends COVID-19 curfew till June 8, CM Nitish Kumar announces

Amid the unprecedented second wave of COVID-19 across India, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced on Monday that the lockdown imposed in the state has been extended till June 8. Earlier this month, the state government had revealed that the government had decided to implement lockdown-like restrictions till June 1.

The Bihar CM took to Twitter and said, "In view of the corona infections, it has been decided to extend the lockdown by one week i.e. till June 8, 2021. But additional relief is being given for businesses. Everyone should wear masks and maintain social distance."

Meanwhile, the Bihar government on Sunday, May 30, stated that under the 'Bal Sahayata Yojana', children who have lost either of their parents owing to COVID-19 will receive a monthly stipend of Rs 1,500. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of Bihar, also stated that orphaned children who do not have a guardian or caretaker will be cared for at a children's home. Orphaned girls will be given preference at Kasturba Gandhi Girls Residential School, he said.

COVID Situation In Bihar

The COVID-19 death toll rose by 52 in Bihar on Sunday when 1,475 fresh cases were also reported even as the active caseload dropped to less than 20,000 in yet another indication of the let-up in the second wave sweeping across the state. According to the health department, the number of fatalities registered so far has risen to 5,104, and 7.05 lakh people have been infected by the coronavirus to date.

However, 6.82 lakh people have recovered and the number of active cases has reached 18,377 a significant decline since the beginning of the month when it was more than one lakh. The recovery rate has also risen to 96.67 percent. Nonetheless, the government seems to be taking no chances and the testing rate remains high. More than one lakh samples were tested since the previous day and the total number of tests done, since the pandemic struck last year, has reached 2.98 lakhs.