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All offices as well as shops, except those deemed essential, will remain shut in Haryana every Saturday and Sunday due to the COVID-19 outbreak, state Health Minister Anil Vij tweeted on Friday, 21 August.
This comes a day after Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh ordered the extension of weekend lockdown along with a daily night curfew from 7 pm to 5 am in all the 167 cities or towns of the state from Friday.
The CM had also ordered a total ban on all gatherings, except weddings and funerals, across the state till 31 August, reported ANI, quoting the CM's office. Government and private offices would be allowed to work at 50 percent of the capacity till the end of the month, the CMO further said.
Haryana has reported 50,926 cases of coronavirus so far, including 578 deaths. On Thursday, the state recorded 996 new cases in what is its biggest one-day spike.
Cumulatively, India has reported 29,05,824 cases of COVID-19, with 68,898 new infections recorded on Friday. The death toll stands at 54,849. According to Union Health Ministry data, there are 6,92,028 active cases across the country, while 21,58,946 patients have been discharged.
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