Gandhinagar, May 20 (IANS): The Gujarat government on Thursday partially lifted the curbs on businesses imposed in 36 major cities of Gujarat, allowing them to carry on business from nine in the morning to three in the afternoon.
While on his damage assessment tour of Saurashtra in the aftermath of the severe cyclonic storm Tauktae which hit Gujarat earlier this week, Chief Minister Rupani on Thursday announced that the curbs imposed in 36 major cities of Gujarat would be partially lifted and business in these cities will be allowed from nine to three during daytime.
However, the night curfew in these cities will continue.
The Gujarat government had imposed a night curfew in 36 cities of Gujarat from 8 pm to 6 am, while prohibiting all businesses except essential and medical services. The curfew was imposed from April end, looking at the rising number of infection cases in the second wave of covid-19.
The state of Gujarat, like the rest in the country, has been battling a resurgent pandemic this year.
The government has imposed a night-time curfew from 8 in the evening to 6 in the morning in 36 major cities. Essential services like medical, para medical were continued. Commercial activities like buying food, vegetables, milk were also allowed.
The government had already banned political or social gatherings and reduced the number of guests who could attend a marriage ceremony to 50 from 100, following the Gujarat High Court order. Other gatherings have also been limited to a maximum of fifty.
Rupani, however, said that the new Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) will be issued later in the day. The decision will be effective from Friday morning till May 28th. "We will see for a week and see how this decision has an impact and later on decide," the CM added.
The night time curfew is effective in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Gandhinagar, Anand, Nadiad, Mehsana, Morbi, Dahod, Patan, Godhra, Bhuj, Gandhidham, Bharuch, Surendranagar, Amreli, Himmatnagar, Palanpur, Navsari, Valsad, Porbandar, Botad, Viramgam, Chotta Udepur, Gir-Somnath, Veraval, Deesa, Ankleshwar, Vapi, Modasa, Radhanpur, Kadi and Visnagar.