By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, Apr. 20: The Deputy Commissioner of Kangra District, Rakesh Kumar Prajapati on Tuesday announced imposition of night curfew from April 20, citing the surge of Covid-19 cases in the month of April. DC Prajapati said today that until further notice, night restrictions from 8pm to 6am will be implemented, and stated that no movements will be allowed on Saturdays and Sundays for the public.
The Kangra administration said that it is taking due precaution against the unprecedented Covid-19 surge in different cities from the end of March. “We have noticed that in this month alone, 51 deaths were reported out of 276 total deaths from the start of the pandemic, as the infection rate picked up from 3.93% to 13% in April,” he added. The Tanda hospital, the largest medical facility in the area has used 75 ICU beds out of 108 beds, whereas Zonal Hospital has already filled up 114 beds out of 130. Authorities have also put up a new Covid-19 centre at Dar in Dharamshala where 40 beds have been installed for Covid-19 patients.
“Even though our district has not reached emergency, the increasing rate of cases has compelled us to put up restrictions to break this chain and keep the numbers low as much as possible,” remarked the DC during the press conference today. The spokesperson said that the district officials took the decision to prevent overcrowding the hospitals and possible shortage of beds.
Government institutions will only function at 50% attendance, and public dealings have been suspended until further notice. Pilgrims returning to Kangra from Kumbh Mela will have to self-quarantine for seven days and produce a RT-PCR test at the end. The same procedure will be applied to people coming from cities currently affected by Covid-19 including Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat and Rajasthan. Social, cultural, religious, and entertainment-related events and functions will also be prohibited. DC clarified that no restriction on the movement through state-border has been instated, except the seven-day quarantine followed by a Covid-19 test.
Kangra district is home to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the seat of the exile Tibetan government, known officially as the Central Tibetan Administration.
