Tripura announces week-long lockdown in areas near Bangladesh border from Friday

The Tripura government has decided to impose a week-long lockdown in areas bordering Bangladesh from Friday to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, minister Ratan Lal Nath said Tuesday, as the coronavirus cases in the state rose to 2,094.

The lockdown will be in force in rural areas within one kilometre of the Indo-Bangladesh border and within half a kilometre from the border in urban areas, he said.

Nath said the government will decided whether to extend the lockdown to the entire state after assessing the situation after a week.

"Only grocery and medical shops and essential services will open in these areas. People will be allowed to move for emergencies like need for hospitalization," he told reporters.

He said Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar has issued a circular mentioning that social and political activities will remain suspended, and private and government-run auditoriums like Agartala Town Hall, Rabindra Shata Varshiki Bhawan, Nazrul Kalakshetra, Mukta Dhara will remain closed during the lockdown.

About social functions and activities, Nath said all activities including political programmes will remain suspended during the period.

"There is no alternative to this ban as we have to save the lives of people. Marriage ceremonies can be organised with a maximum of 50 people with appropriate social distancing norms and 'shradh' can be organised only with 20 people," Nath said.

He said containment zones in the state have increased to 59 on Tuesday