The Jharkhand government announced further relaxations of Covid-19 restrictions in the state on Friday, allowing cinema halls, bars and restaurants to function with 100 per cent capacity and also calling off the 8pm curfew on business operations
All tourist spots, parks and swimming pools have been allowed to reopen. Schools from class I to IX, which remained closed in seven districts in view of high Covid-19 cases, can reopen from March 7.
Other key decisions announced included increasing the cap on gatherings at social functions to 500 from 200, opening up all kinds of sporting activities, and a nod to open up anganwadi kendras. However, the bar on organising fairs, exhibitions and processions will remain.
These decisions were taken on Friday at a meeting of the state disaster management department (SDMA), chaired by chief minister Hemant Soren in the afternoon.
Later, disaster management department minister Banna Gupta said the government decided to unlock in the wake of a steady fall in Covid-19 cases. "The Covid-19 situation in our state is very much under control and soon we will achieve zero active cases, going by the daily rate of fresh cases. Currently, we barely have about 500 active cases in the state and the recovery rate is hovering at 98 per cent,” he said.
On schools, Gupta said, “In the last SDMA meeting, we didn’t allow schools to open in seven districts, namely, Ranchi, Bokaro, East Singhbhum, Chatra, Deoghar, Seraikela-Kharsawan and Simdega, as active cases there were on the higher side. But the situation is much better now and hence, we have decided to allow schools to reopen."
He, however, said that schools could not hold offline exams during March. "It has to be only via online mode,” he added.
As far as sporting activities are concerned, the minister clarified that stadiums could host games and practice sessions. But in case of hosting big events, organisers would have to seek the local deputy commissioner's permission. “DCs will take a call whether or not to allow spectators,” he said.
