All Shrines in Arunachal Pradesh to Remain Closed till June 30 to Contain Covid-19 Spread

The Arunachal Pradesh government has decided to keep all shrines closed in the state till June 30 to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

State Health Secretary P Parthiban in an official order on Saturday banned the opening of places of worship in the state till June 30.

In the larger interest of the public and invoking of the Arunachal Pradesh Epidemic Disease, (Prevention of COVID-19) Regulations 2020, all religious institutions, places of worship shall remain closed till June 30, the order said.

According to the new guidelines issued by the union ministry of home affairs, in the first phase of Unlock 1.0, religious places and places of worship for public, hotels, restaurants, other hospitality services and shopping malls will be permitted to open from June 8.

The ministry on May 30 while extending the lockdown in the containment zones till June 30 said all economic activities can restart in a phased manner outside those zones.

The union health ministry had said that it would issue standard operating procedures for those activities in consultation with the central ministries, the departments concerned and other stakeholders for ensuring social distancing and to contain the spread of COVID-19.

The northeastern state till Friday recorded a total of 47 coronavirus cases of which 46 are active. One person was released from the hospital after being cured.