Sikkim issues new Covid-19 rules, no movement of vehicles at night

Sikkim has partially modified its earlier official protocols regarding the Covid-19 situation in the state and issued a fresh set of rules, which include restrictions on vehicular movement at night. The state imposed a 'night curfew' since last night, instructing restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and other commercial establishments to shut shop by 10 pm daily.

Yesterday, Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang had announced that night curfew will be imposed in the state from Wednesday night in the wake of a spurt in Covid-19 cases.

The Sikkim government's official order today was shared by news agency ANI. It is signed by SC Gupta, the chief secretary of the state government, and details the fresh set of protocols concerning measures for containment of the coronavirus disease.

Restriction on vehicular movement at night: The new rules in Sikkim dictate that there shall be no movement of vehicles from 10:30 pm to 6 am, except for emergency purposes. The restriction shall also not apply to commercial goods vehicles, including LCVs and vehicles on emergency duty. For every other sort of vehicle, however, the district police have been instructed to ensure compliance with the order.

Markets, shops to shut down by 10 pm: All commercial establishments, including restaurants, bars, nightclubs, discos, pubs, and gyms, have been instructed to close by 10 pm every night. In-house guests, staying in the hotels, may however continue enjoying services from the facility, the order added.

All such commercial establishments have also been instructed to ensure compliance with the pre-existing Covid-19 protocols — wear masks, practice social distancing, and follow the proper sanitisation procedures.

Schools to carry out special awareness drive on Covid-19: All schools, institutions, and establishments in the state have been instructed to carry out a "special drive" to ensure that students, employees, and customers continue to follow the proper Covid-19 protocols, wear masks, and practice social distancing. The police have also been asked to 'strictly enforce' the norms in public places.

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Sikkim is one of the 18 states/union territories in India that have not reported any Covid-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, reported ANI earlier in the day.

Chief minister Prem Singh Tamang had appealed to the people of Sikkim yesterday, urging them to regularly wear masks and continue to follow social distancing norms as per the official Covid-19 protocol.