Sikkim government extends lockdown till August 3 as Covid-19 cases spike

GANGTOK: The Sikkim government on Friday extended the complete lockdown in the state till August 3 in view of a spurt in COVID-19 cases, a senior official said.

As per the revised guidelines from the Home Department, the lockdown remains extended till 6 am on August 3, a notification issued by Chief Secretary S C Gupta said.

A set of revised guidelines with regard to restrictions on movement and gathering of people, however, will come into force on August 3 and will be applicable till August 31, he said.

The Sikkim government had reimposed a complete lockdown in the state on July 20 for six days and extended it till August 1 in view of a surge in COVID-19 cases.

The Himalayan state has recorded a nearly seven-fold increase in coronavirus cases in the last one month, registering a total of 610 infections till July 30. One COVID-19 patient has died and 395 are under treatment.

The virus count in the state was 88 till June 30, as per data released by the Health Department.