48-hour lockdown begins in Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand to check spread of Covid-19

Similar restrictions had been imposed in Gangolihat and Ganai towns of the district recently as a containment measure

A 48-hour lockdown began in Pithoragarh town in Uttarakhand from 7 am on Saturday to contain the spread of Covid-19.

All offices and business establishments in the town will remain closed for 48 hours, subdivisional magistrate Tushar Saini said.

Medical shops will remain open as usual and vegetable shops can operate only till 10 am, he said.

The district administration decided to impose the restrictions after Covid-19 cases recorded a rise in the town and some other parts of the district, officials here said.

"After the 48-hour closure of Gangolihat and Ganai towns that ended two days ago, we have imposed complete shutdown in the district headquarters from today," Saini said.

According to Pithoragarh Chief Medical Officer H C Pant, the district has witnessed a spurt in fresh Covid-19 cases and 48 patients have succumbed to the disease in the district headquarters.

"Two days of closure will check the flow of over 30,000 visitors to the town each day, thus containing the spread of the virus," Pant said.