Uttarakhand extends COVID restrictions till Jan 31; schools & anganwadis to remain closed

Amid a sudden surge in the COVID-19 cases mainly driven by the Omicron variant, the Uttarakhand government has extended the restrictions till January 31. According to the latest order released by the government, all educational Anganwadi Centres and educational institutions up to class 12 will remain closed till January 31. Also, the authority instructed the schools to continue the online classes until the next order.  As per the guidelines, night curfew across the state will be applicable from 10 pm to 6 am. Shops are allowed to open from 6 am till 10 pm, a letter dated January 22 said.

"Gymnasiums, shopping malls, cinema halls, spas, salons, theatres, auditoriums etc can open with 50% of their capacity in adherence with Coronavirus protocol. Restaurants, hotels, dhabas and other eateries can allow dine-in services with 50% capacity and takeaways and home delivery will continue," read the official order.

Further, the order capped the limit of gathering at social events like marriages and funerals. The government capped the maximum limit to 50 for both marriages and funerals. Though stadiums, playgrounds and other establishments can remain open with a 50% capacity, swimming pools and water parks are ordered to shut till January 31. It is worth mentioning the government has extended the latest restrictions amid a surge in COVID cases driven by the Omicron variant. As of January 24, Uttarakhand has recorded 400,401 cases including 31,310 active cases. The state has reported a recovery of 3,61,611 people and 7,480 deaths.

EC extends ban on physical rallies, roadshows till January 31

Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in the poll-bound state, the Election Commission of India on January 22 extended the ban on physical rallies and roadshows till January 31. However, the Election Commission enhanced the limit of persons for the door-to-door campaign from 5 to 10 people, as per the statement released on Saturday. 

Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra along with Election Commissioners Rajiv Kumar, Anup Chandra Pandey, Secretary-General, and concerned Deputy Election Commissioners also held a comprehensive review of the present situation with respect to status and projected trends of the COVID-19 pandemic in the five poll going states, said a press release by Election Commission of India, reported ANI.

With inputs from ANI

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