Patna, Jan 4 (IANS): The Bihar government on Tuesday decided to impose night curfew in the state in view of rising Covid cases.

The decision was taken during a high-level meeting of the crisis management group headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The decision will be effective from January 6 to January 21. Night curfew will start at 10 p.m. and will continue till 5 a.m.

Besides night curfew, the Chief Minister has directed the authorities to shut malls, gyms, cinema halls, temples, stadiums, swimming pools and parks. The authorities have been asked to shut shops after 8 p.m. The essential services have been exempted.

However, schools to continue to hold classes from 9 to 12 with 50 per cent capacity. The classes below 8 standard are closed for now. The education department has been asked to focus on online classes in the state.

Restaurants and Dhabas will be operational with 50 per cent occupancy. Maximum 50 persons will be allowed in marriages and 20 in funerals.

Any cultural, political and any other event needs permission from the authority and it should not have a gathering of more than 50 persons.

Earlier, the health department of Bihar detected 893 Covid cases including 565 in Patna on Tuesday evening. The total active cases rose to 2,220 in Bihar and 1,250 in Patna.