Chandigarh, Jun 12: The district administration of Amritsar, which is the worst affected by coronavirus in Punjab, on Friday announced that all shops except medical stores will remain closed on weekends. Also, people will have to get an e-pass for movement on weekends.

"All shops will remain closed on Saturday and Sunday but hospital, medical stores and milk supply will be permitted," Amritsar Police Commissioner Sukhchain Singh Gill said. The move came a day after the state government announced stricter lockdown on weekends and public holidays. Maharashtra Crosses 1 Lakh COVID-19 Cases With 3,493 New Infections, Death Toll 3,717.

According to new guidelines issued by the state government, only shops dealing with essential commodities and services will be allowed to operate on all days of the week. Live Tracker: Map The Spread fo COVID-19 in All States of India.

Other shops, either standalone or in shopping malls, shall remain closed on Sundays, while on Saturdays they can open till 5 pm, it said. In addition to the Sunday closure, district magistrates may also choose, in consultation with the respective market associations, to order closure of the non-essential shops on any other day of the week in high-risk areas. Amritsar has reported the maximum number of 592 coronavirus cases and 16 deaths in the state.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)