Lockdown in Bihar till May 15 amid COVID-19 surge

New Delhi, May 04: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday announced that Bihar willl go into a lockdown till May 15 amid COVID-19 surge. The decision was taken after consultations with cabinet minister and other senior officials.

The Crisis Management Group has been ordered to release the guidelines related to lockdown by today evening.

Bihar Lockdown: Check what is allowed and what is not

• All shops selling vegetables, fruits, eggs and meat to remain open.
• All state govt offices to remain closed, excluding essential services such as district administration, civil defence etc and essential shops
• Restaurants and dhabas can continue with home delivery.
• All religious places to remain closed.
• Cinema halls, malls, clubs, gyms and parks will be closed.
• Schools, colleges and other educational institutes will remain closed.
• No examination will be held by state-run schools and universities till May 15.

The Patna High Court on Monday said that a statewide lockdown is urgently needed to control the COVID situation.

"It has been emerging that the state government is heading toward total failure. There is no action plan in the context of an uncontrollable surge of corona infection in Bihar. Whatever plan you have submitted, it's not up to the mark and no effective steps have been taken. Despite repeated orders you are not doing anything, Everything is an eyewash", the court observed.

The bench, which is monitoring the situation on a daily basis asserted that the Nitish government must either impose a lockdown or it will have to pass an appropriate order.