Cinema halls closed in Gurugram, 4 other cities in Haryana amid COVID-19 surge

As the number of COVID-19 cases in India has increased significantly over the past few days, the government of Haryana has decided to issue a fresh set of guidelines in the state, which includes the shutdown of cinema halls in Gurugram and four other cities.

According to an official order of the Haryana government issued on January 1, the cinema halls, multiplexes and sports complexes in five cities in the state, including Gurugram and Faridabad have been shut down from January 2 to 12, 2022.

These restrictions will be applicable in a total of five districts- Gurugram, Faridabad, Ambala, Panchkula, and Sonipat. A night curfew has also been imposed in Haryana, from 11 pm to 5 am, in view of the increasing COVID-19 cases in several areas.

The order issued by the Haryana State Disaster Management Authority states that all cinema halls, theatres, multiplexes shall remain closed in Gurugram, Faridabad, Ambala, Panchkula, and Sonipat from January 2 to January 12.

Further guidelines by the Haryana government state that sports complexes, swimming pools, and stadia shall remain closed in these districts except when being used for training of sportspersons for participation in national and international sports events.

Government and private offices, except for emergency/essential services have been advised to function with 50 percent staff attendance, the order states. The guidelines also state that malls and markets will be allowed to open till 5 pm, while bars and restaurants will be allowed to operate at 50 percent seating capacity.

Apart from this, the state government has also banned people eligible for vaccination but not fully vaccinated from entering shopping malls, cinema halls, restaurants, and grain markets, among other crowded places, starting Saturday.

Haryana reported 552 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday. Gurugram district alone accounted for 298 of these cases, according to a health department bulletin. Gurugram, which falls in the National Capital Region, has been recording a surge in COVID-19 cases for the past few days, as per reports.