HP imposes night curfew in 4 districts amidst spike in COVID-19 cases, shuts schools and colleges till Dec 31

The curfew will be enforced in Shimla, Kangra, Kullu, and Mandi from 8 pm to 6 am till December 15

Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur (PTI file photo).
Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur (PTI file photo).
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Bipin Bhardwaj

After having failed to control the spread of COVID-19, the Himachal Pradesh government on Monday imposed night curfew in four districts including the state capital which has emerged as a COVID-19 hotspot.

The government also decided to close all schools and colleges till December 31 and announced winter vacations from January 1, 2021 till January 12, 2021.

The decision was taken by the Himachal cabinet on Monday imposing night curfew in Shimla, Kangra, Kullu, and Mandi (the home district of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur) which are fast emerging as COVID-19 hotspots in the state. The curfew will be enforced in all four districts from 8 pm to 6 am till December 15. Shimla and Mandi have reported almost 2,000 cases in last fortnight with daily 10 deaths on average.

The people without masks will have to pay more now as the government decided to slap a penalty of Rs 1000 instead of Rs 500 for not wearing masks.

The Cabinet also decided to keep educational institutes closed, both for teachers as students till December 31.

An official spokesperson informed that the final examinations which were to take place in December will now be held in March. All the government

offices will operate with 50 per cent staff strength as half of the employees will be called to office on alternate days.

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