Jammu and Kashmir extends COVID-induced curfew till 31 May; essential services remain exempted

New Delhi: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Saturday extended till May 31 the curfew imposed across the union territory to curb the spread of coronavirus. The restrictions were scheduled to end on 24 May. Corona Curfew imposed in all 20 distts (districts) of J&K till 7 am on Monday, 24/5/21 is extended further till 7 am on Monday, 31/5/21. The curfew will be strict except for a few essential services. DCs (Deputy Commissioners) being given limited flexibility to ensure economic activities do not suffer, the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) said in a tweet on its official handle. Jammu and Kashmir on Friday recorded 3,848 fresh COVID-19 cases that took its tally to 2,63,905, while 43 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 3,465, officials said. Earlier on April 29, the Jammu and Kashmir administration imposed curfew in 11 districts in a bid to tackle the surge in COVID-19 cases, which was subsequently extended to all the 20 districts the next day. The UT also witnessed a 34-hour curfew from 8 pm on 24 April till 26 April. On April 8, night curfew was imposed from 10 pm to 6 am in the urban areas of eight districts, which was extended to the municipal and urban local body limits of all the 20 districts on 20 April.