Chandigarh, Apr 28 (PTI) Amid rising COVID-19 cases, the Chandigarh administration on Wednesday announced extension of curfew period by three hours.

The decision was taken by Chandigarh Administrator V P Singh Badnore during a COVID review meeting with officials here.

The night curfew will start from 6 pm till 5 am and the fresh curbs will come into force from Thursday till further orders, said an official statement. Presently, the curfew timings are from 9 pm till 5 am.

The administration also directed all shops, malls and multiplexes to be closed by 5 pm while home delivery of items will be allowed till 9 pm.

All non-essential activities will be banned during the night curfew hours, said the statement.

The Union Territory administration also directed all educational institutions, schools, colleges, coaching institutions, libraries, etc. to remain closed till May 15.

The city has been witnessing a rise in COVID-19 cases. Chandigarh had on Tuesday reported a record 837 fresh infections, taking the coronavirus tally to 40,350.

(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)