Agartala, Jul 30 (PTI) The Tripura government has decided to withdraw day curfew from Sunday following improvement in the overall COVID situation in the state and will allow all government and private offices to function with full attendance but has extended night curfew across the state till August 31.

Chief Secretary Alok Kumar in a notification said night curfew will be in force throughout the state from 7 pm to 5 am from August 1 to August 31.

Officials said the coronavirus positivity rate was on Thursday found to have come down to 3.3 per cent from 5 per cent a week ago. The overall situation was reviewed by the officials concerned.

According to a press statement issued by the government the total coronavirus caseload has risen to 77788 and 73,602 infected persons have recovered. The toll rose to 751 and the number of active cases climbed to 3369.

Though day curfew, which was imposed on July 19 and was in force from 2 pm, would be withdrawn on Sunday, shopping malls and market complexes, cinema halls and gyms will remain closed at all times and bazaar committees will deploy volunteers to ensure strict adherence to social-distancing, the notification said.

Vehicles can only ply between 5 am and 7 pm for essential purposes. However, those ferrying medical supplies will be allowed to ply even after 7 p.m.

There will be a total ban on the movement of individuals during the hours of night curfew except for prescribed exemptions, it said.

“All government and non-government offices shall operate at 100% attendance. Staggered timing 10 am - 4.30 pm, 10.30 am - 5 pm and 11 am - 5.30 pm shall be followed for staff that attends office to ease out congestion on the transport system. The aggressive COVID appropriate behaviour has to be followed by officials and staff of all categories,” the notification said.

A maximum of 50 persons will be allowed at weddings and not more than 20 in the case of last rites and funerals, it added.

(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)