Bihar on Wednesday lifted most Covid restrictions, and announced the reopening of educational institutions and business establishments, as the state prepares for panchayat polls to be held over three months.

Although Bihar has been reporting a negligible number of Covid cases of late, health experts expressed dismay at the government appearing to throw all caution to the wind at a time the highly infectious Delta variant has kept the country on tenterhooks and a third wave seems imminent.

The 11-phase panchayat elections are to be held from September 24 to December 12. The schedule was announced on Tuesday. Elections will be held to 2.55 lakh posts in the three-tier panchayati raj system. There are 6.39 crore voters in the state. The polls were expected to be held in April but were postponed due to the pandemic.

Covid cases had gone up exponentially in Bengal, Kerala and other states and fuelled the devastating second wave of the pandemic earlier this year after Assembly elections.

The decision to lift most restrictions came after Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar chaired a meeting of the crisis management group consisting of several ministers and officials to review the Covid-19 situation.

All business and educational institutions can now function normally. Social, political, cultural and sports events can be organised without any curbs. Religious places, closed since April 10, have also been allowed to reopen.

“We reviewed the Covid situation. All shops, establishments, shopping malls, parks, gardens and religious places can now open in a normal manner due to improvement in the spread of the coronavirus infection,” Nitish tweeted after the meeting.

“All kinds of social, political, entertainment, sports, cultural and religious events can be organised with necessary precautions and the permission of the district administration concerned. All universities, colleges, technical education institutions, schools and coaching centres can open in a normal manner and examinations can also be held,” Nitish added.

However, cinemas, clubs, gyms, swimming pools, restaurants and other eateries will be able to operate with 50 per cent occupancy.

“We the people of Bihar need to practise Covid-appropriate behaviour and precautions in the light of the expected third wave,” Nitish tweeted.

Later in the day, chief secretary Tripurari Sharan issued detailed instructions on the lifting of restrictions. Bihar had imposed most of them in April, but was forced to go for complete lockdown on May 5 after the second wave of the pandemic wreaked havoc in the state.

The government guidelines mention that only those who have taken at least one dose of Covid vaccine will be allowed to work in business establishments, restaurants and coaching centres, and avail themselves of the facilities at clubs, swimming pools and gyms. Only those inoculated with at least one dose will be permitted to enter government offices.

The Bihar government will conduct rapid antigen tests on people coming from states that are reporting a large number of Covid cases or Delta variant cases. People with RT-PCR negative reports not older than 72 hours will not need to get tested while entering Bihar.

Medical experts expressed shock at the removal of most restrictions.

Indian Medical Association Bihar unit secretary Dr Sunil Kumar told The Telegraph: “Bihar is bhagwan bharose (at the mercy of God)…. Everybody knows that only the first lockdown that was imposed towards the end of March 2020 and continued till April-end was effective in the state. Thereafter none of the lockdowns were successful.” “We rarely see Covid-appropriate behaviour in the state. Enforcement is dismal. More precautions are needed at a time when the third wave of the pandemic is expected.” Men and women died like animals during the second wave here. There was no oxygen and beds in hospitals, people had to wait for hours in queues outside cremation grounds to perform the last rites of their relatives,” he added.

IMA national president-elect Dr Sahajanand Singh, however, said unlocking was “needed to ensure that people do not die of hunger and the economy improves. Even otherwise, Covid cases across the country are low right now”.