ITANAGAR, 6 Jun: The lockdown in the Itanagar capital region (ICR) will be partially lifted from 7 June, albeit with a complete ban on movement of individuals from 3 pm to 5 am daily.
Briefing the press on Sunday, ICR Deputy Commissioner Talo Potom informed that the restrictions will be effective from 5 am of 7 June to 5 am of 21 June, exempting those in emergency services and departments.
E-passes will not be required for those entering and exiting the ICR from 5 am to 2 pm. All those entering or exiting after 3 pm till 5 am (curfew hours) shall need e-passes, except in cases of medical emergencies and on genuine grounds, with prior approval of the competent authority.
Mandatory Covid-19 tests will be conducted at the Banderdewa check gate for movement, even if travellers arrive within the permitted time.
E-passes can be applied for at https://eservice.arunachal.gov.in/ or https://itanagar.nic.in.
Shops along the national highway will be allowed to be opened on alternate days from 5 am to 2 pm. Shops located on the left side of the highway from Hollongi to Banderdewa will be open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while shops on the right side will be open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
All shops and other establishments, including commercial ones, will remain closed on Sundays.
The DC also requested all shopkeepers and vendors to proactively encourage customers to observe Covid-19-appropriate behaviour while selling products.
Restaurants and hotels shall be permitted to open for home delivery only till 2 pm, and no dine-in is allowed. If hotels have guests, the DC said, they may be offered room service.
Gyms, shopping malls, weekly/daily markets, cinema halls, swimming pools, parlours and spas, bars and nightclubs shall remain suspended till further orders.
E-commerce and home delivery services, which were allowed to make deliveries during the lockdown for longer periods, shall now only be allowed till 2 pm. Pharmacies, hospitals, animal care centres and veterinary clinics may operate without restrictions.
As for government offices, they shall also function till 2 pm with 30 percent staff on a roster basis, except for the exempted categories.
The DC said that all employees and individuals have to ensure that they wind up their work and reach their homes by 3 pm, “as excuses of being stuck in traffic will not be accepted.”
All public transport services will be allowed to operate from 5 am to 2 pm with 50 percent occupancy. However, Potom warned against raising the fares exorbitantly.
Agriculture, forestry and allied activities and ongoing construction works will be allowed from 5 am to 2 pm, subject to the contractor/owner ensuring adherence to Covid-19-appropriate behaviour.
The district task force will ensure that labourers already at the sites are engaged and no new labourers are brought from outside.
“Use the labourers that we have inside the ICR, so that we can decrease the Covid positivity rate even further,” Potom said.
Marriages, religious functions and last rites will be only private affairs and be allowed with a maximum of 10 persons. No reception parties will be allowed for post- or pre-marriage functions.
All religious places shall remain closed till further orders. However, the religious head of a religious place or his representative may perform minimal religious rituals or prayers.
Requesting the people to cooperate with the new orders, the DC said that the DA could conduct random tests on individuals in the market areas, and asked people to avail the free Covid test services of the government.
For further queries, people can also contact the district Covid control room at 093628 13608 or email to covidcontrolroomitanagar@gmail.com.
Any person violating the orders shall be liable to face action as per provisions of Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, besides legal action under Section 188 of the IPC and other legal provisions.
