Week-long lockdown with stricter provisions begins in Raipur

Only essential activities will be allowed to operate during the lockdown which will remain in force till July 28 midnight, officials said. The entire capital wore a deserted look as all shops and commercial establishments, government and private offices and public transport services were shut.

A week-long lockdown began on Wednesday in the municipal limits of Raipur and Birgaon in the Chhattisgarh capital in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases. Only essential activities will be allowed to operate during the lockdown which will remain in force till July 28 midnight, officials said.

The entire capital wore a deserted look as all shops and commercial establishments, government and private offices and public transport services were shut. In the morning, people at some places came out to buy food items as sale of vegetables, fruits, eggs, mutton, chicken, fish, selling fruits/vegetables on hand cart, have been allowed from 6 am till 10 am.

"Raipur district recorded 1,314 COVID-19 cases till Tuesday. Of these, around 1,100 cases were detected in the last one month, a public relations department official said. Therefore, areas under the Raipur Municipal Corporation and Birgaon Municipal Corporation of the state capital have been declared as containment zones where restrictions will remain in force for seven days to break the chain of virus transmission, the official said.

All government, semi-government and private offices will remain closed during the lockdown. Government officials and employees will be working from home, he said, adding that all public transport services, including buses, taxis, and auto-rickshaws will not be allowed to operate.

Vehicles for emergency and health care services will be allowed to operate. Private vehicles engaged in essential services or transportation of essential commodities will be allowed to operate, the official said. Transportation of commercial cargo vehicles will be allowed in prohibitory zones during night hours only, he said.

All shops, commercial institutions and weekly markets will remain closed in prohibited areas, he said. However, certain relaxations have been allowed for factories, construction and labour works in the Raipur and Birgaon containment zones, he said.

All religious, cultural and tourism spots will remain closed while banks will operate with minimum strength, the official said. Raipur Collector S Bharathi Dasan on Tuesday evening appealed to people to adhere to the lockdown rules and follow a policy of 'no vehicle on road.

He urged people to prefer going out on foot to buy essentials in their localities within the stipulated time. Police personnel have been deployed in many parts of the state capital where 36 checkpoints have been set up to ensure that lockdown regulations are not violated.

Lockdown is also being enforced in 20 other urban bodies in four districts for different time periods, the official said. Strict restrictions are in force in limits of four urban bodies of Mungeli district from Wednesday till July 28 midnight.

Besides, lockdown will remain enforced in limits of 10 urban bodies of Durg district from Wednesday midnight till July 29 midnight, whlile Ambikapur Municipal Corporation area in Surguja district has been declared a containment zone where restrictions will also be in place for the same time period, he said. Lockdown will also be imposed in areas under Korba Municipal Corporation limits and four other cities in that district from Wednesday till July 28 midnight, he said.

Restrictions will also be enforced in areas under Bilaspur Municipal Corporation limits and two other urban areas in the district from July 23 morning till July 31 evening while areas under Rajnandgaon Municipal Corporation limits will have a lockdownfrom July 23 midnight till July 29 midnight, he said. All urban areas in Janjgir-Champa district will also have restrictions from July 24 till July 30, he added.

Till Tuesday, Chhattisgarh reported 5,731 COVID-19 cases and 29 deaths due to the disease. There were 1,588 active cases while 4,114 patients were discharged after recovery till Tuesday.