PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Dec 29: While a few states have come up with night curfews or other restrictions in view of the latest concerns on Omicron, the new covid strain, the Jharkhand government has not yet announced any fresh advisories for the New Year bash on December 31 as well as January 1.
The district administration has urged revellers to maintain restraint and follow all the prescribed Covid safety norms in public places.
East Singhbhum district administration has stepped up vigil both in terms of maintaining law and order and compliance of covid safety protocols.
The district administration has decided to press vehicles for random Covid checks at popular picnic spots in and around the city on January 1.
City SP Shubhash Jat said that the decision has been made in view of Jamshedpur continuing to get a major share of new infections on a daily basis. On Monday, Jamshedpur reported 13 new cases while 14 cases were reported on Tuesday.
“At popular water bodies, wherever, people usually head in large numbers on January 1 every year, we will deploy mobile Covid testing vans for random testing. All those, who are caught violating norms like not using masks, overcrowding, and others, will be made to take Covid tests,” said the police official.
For the new year bash, the district administration has also issued guidelines to mandate all pubs, hotels and the likes, who have lined up programmes on the eve of the new year, to maintain proper logs of the visitors.
Party organisers will have to ensure social distancing, sanitisation facilities, and masks are available to one and all. Random checks will be done and strict action will be initiated on erring persons.
Residents of Jamshedpur seem to filled with the enthusiasm for celebrating the year-end and the New Year in and around the steel city, dark cloud of Covid-19 new variant which still hovers has led the district police to dampen the spirit of revellers.
In all 18 checking points have been set up en route to Dimna and also Bhurudih Dam in Ghatsila from the city for both the year-end as well as the New Year celebration.
In the city, Bistupur Main Road happens to be a place of attractions for the year-end revellers who will have to spend New Year eve amidst the deployment of a heavy police force.