Coronavirus: Chhattisgarh government orders closure of libraries, gyms & swimming pools

The Chhattisgarh government on Friday ordered closure of all public libraries, gyms and swimming pools in urban areas of the state till March 31 amid novel coronavirus scare, officials said.

The government also issued orders to keep anganwadi and mini-anganwadi centres in the state shut during this period as a measure to prevent the spread of infection. "All public libraries, swimming pools, water parks and government, semi-government and private gyms located under the jurisdiction of civic bodies will becompulsorilyclosed till March 31 for the prevention and control of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection," a government official here said.

State Urban Administration Department's Secretary, Alarmelmangai D, in a communiqu to District Collectors, Municipal Corporation Commissioners and Chief Municipality Officers of Nagar Palika Parishad and Nagar Panchayats, has ordered strict compliance of the directives, he said.

Similarly, in view of the Centre's advisory, the state Women and Child Development Department ordered closure of anganwadi and mini-anganwadi centres. However, the beneficiaries will continue to get ready-to-eat food as per the provisions from these facilities, the official said.

Due to the coronavirus scare, the ongoing budget session of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly, which will resume on March 16 after the Holi vacation, will be adjourned from March 17 to March 25, an assembly official said. A decision in this regard was taken in the meeting of Work Advisory Committee of the state legislative assembly held on Friday.

Since the proceedings of the committee meeting are tabled in the House, it will resume on March 16, after which the announcement of adjournment till March 25 would be made, he said. As per the previous schedule, the budget session, which commenced on February 24, was supposed to continue till April 1.

On Thursday, the state government had ordered to shut all schools, colleges and universities till March 31. However, exams will be held as per schedule in these educational institutes. No confirmed coronavirus case has been reported so far in Chhattisgarh, where samples of 44 persons screened for possible exposure to the virus tested negative till Thursday, health officials said.

However, test results of the samples of nine persons, including two students of Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU) in Raipur district and a CRPF jawan posted in insurgency-hit Sukma district, are awaited, they said.