The COVID lockdown in Bihar is going to be further relaxed from today. According to the guidelines under unlock 2.0, office timings will be till 5 pm for the coming week. According to a report in Hindustan Times, government and private offices will work at a capacity of 50 percent. Previously, offices were allowed to operate till 4 pm.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made the announcements on Tuesday, 15 June. He also said that the night curfew will be cut short by four hours in the state. Timings of night curfew will be 8 pm to 5 am. Previously night curfew was imposed between 5 pm and 6 am.
Nitish Kumar also tweeted about the development saying that the new relaxations are valid from 16 June to 22 June.
कोरोना संक्रमण की स्थिति की समीक्षा की गई। अगले 1 सप्ताह तक अर्थात दिनांक 16.06.21 से 22.06.21 तक प्रतिबंधों में ढील देते हुए अब सरकारी एवं गैर सरकारी कार्यालय 5 बजे अप0 तक, दुकाने एवं प्रतिष्ठान 6 बजे अप0 तक खुली रहेगी। रात्रि कर्फ्यू संध्या 8 बजे से प्रातः 5 बजे तक लागू रहेगा।
— Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) June 15, 2021
Earlier, shops were allowed to open on alternate days from 6 am to 5 pm. However, under the new guidelines, shops can remain operational for an hour more, till 6 pm. All educational institutions and religious places are going to remain closed till further orders.
The Covid-19 lockdown in Bihar was first imposed on 5 May and has been extended since then. The process of relaxation of lockdown first started on 8 June. However, the lockdown has been extended till 30 June in all containment zones in Bihar.
Reportedly, on Monday, there were only 324 new Covid-19 cases in Bihar. After a significant drop in the number of daily cases, authorities have rolled out unlock 2.0. Recovery rate has also increased to 98.01 percent in the state.