Govt offices shut till April 14 in J-K, essential services to remain functional

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has ordered the closure of all government offices, excluding those providing essential services, till April 14 in the union territory.

"#COVID19 #JammuAndKashmir #FightagainstCorona  All government offices except those providing essential services closed till April 14. @diprjk @HealthMedicalE1," government spokesperson Rohit Kansal said in a tweet on Wednesday.

Restrictions on movement imposed in Jammu and Kashmir to prevent the spread of the coronavirus were tightened on Wednesday and strict action was initiated against violators following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of a 21-day nationwide lockdown, officials said.

While the prime minister announced the countrywide lockdown on Tuesday evening, the union territory administration had on Sunday imposed similar restrictions till March 31 as part of its efforts to combat the coronavirus threat.

Essential services have been exempted from the purview of the restrictions.