Agartala, Jul 29 (PTI) Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Wednesday announced that a total lockdown will continue in the state till 5 am on August 4 to break the chain of coronavirus transmission.

A three-day total lockdown came into effect in the north eastern state on July 27 and was supposed to end at 5 am on July 30.

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In a televised address, the chief minister said continuous lockdown is required to break the chain of transmission and it should continue for at least eight days consecutively.

“We are passing through a phase when social distancing and the use of masks can protect us. It is sad that 21 people have died in the state so far and most of them were old. The ongoing lockdown was supposed to continue till Thursday morning but would now continue till 5 am on August 4. All guidelines of the ongoing lockdown would be in force," he said.

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The chief minister said all elderly people, children and pregnant women should be given additional care.

Deb, who also holds the health portfolio, said a door-to-door survey for detecting COVID-19 is underway in the state since Monday to understand the actual spread of the virus.

“When we will touch 9 lakh families, we shall have an idea of the overall picture. We are only having an idea of the percentage of the spread now. Continuous lockdown is needed, for a minimum of eight days. Only then can we break the chain of the transmission," he said.

Deb said the movement of people must be restricted as it was the main reason for the spread of coronavirus.

No inter-district vehicle movement, inter-state communication or block-level movement would be allowed during the lockdown, he added.

State minister Ratan Lal Nath said the forthcoming Eid festivities would be restricted due to the lockdown.

“Several festivals in recent past like Rabindra Jayanti, Jhulan Jatra, Kharchi Puja among others could not be celebrated properly due to the COVID-19 situation. This is a difficult time. We appeal to our Muslim friends to observe Eid, upholding the government rules, and cooperate with us," Nath, the cabinet spokesperson, said.

The Imam of Agartala town Jame Masjid earlier issued a set of restrictions, discouraging devotees against hugging each other after offering ‘namaz', strictly adhering to the norms of social distancing and performing animal sacrifice only in their houses.

(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)