KO File Photo By Abid Bhat
Srinagar- Jammu and Kashmir went on a 64-hour lockdown on Friday afternoon as part of the government’s effort to combat the alarming spread of novel Coronavirus in the Union Territory.
According to reports, the lockdown was enforced by police soon after congregation Friday prayers concluded in Srinagar and other major towns of the Valley. In Srinagar, the police vans fitted with a public address system made repeated announcements asking traders to shutdown their business establishments in wake of the weekend lockdown.
Within minutes, the commercial hub of Lal Chowk and its adjoining areas presented a deserted look as all shops, business establishments, offices ceased operations. Public traffic also went off the roads as soon as the lockdown came into effect. The lockdown will continue till Monday morning.
The weekend lockdown to beat Covid-19 was announced by the State Executive Committee (SEC) headed by Chief Secretary around three weeks ago. Initially, the lockdown was announced on Saturday and Sundays. However, after an alarming spike in cases, the SEC last week extended the lockdown to 64 hours from Friday 2.00 pm to Monday 6.00 am.
However, the fresh order exempted the pregnant women employees from physical attendance and allowed them to work from home.
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