On Thursday(March 25), the Chhattisgarh government placed Section 144 in Raipur, the state capital, in response to an increase in COVID-19 infections. The Raipur collector made the announcement after monitoring the COVID-19 situation in the region.

The state authorities have also ordered that all visitors or tourists who enter the state remain in quarantine for at least seven days.

In addition, the authorities released new rules for the Holi festival celebration. The use of any kind of sound amplifier would be forbidden under the new rules. Though only five people will be allowed to participate in the capital’s Holika Dahan ritual, all other Holi festivities or services are strictly prohibited.

Inspections will be carried out at random in multiplexes, talkies, industrial centers, retail complexes, malls, and so on. The government will take stricter measures to ensure that the recommendations are followed correctly.

Both tourist attractions and public spaces in the state have been directed to remain closed until further notice. Furthermore, the authorities also prohibited any form of public event, including religious celebrations, festivals, social, educational, political, athletics, and ceremonies. In addition, the number of guests at a wedding has been reduced to 50.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Dev voiced concern about the state’s COVID-19 situation.

Meanwhile, India announced 47,262 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, the largest reported single-day increase for the year 2021. According to the Union Health Ministry, this brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 1,17,34,058.

Although the active caseload increased dramatically for the 14th day in a row, reaching 3,68,457 infections, accounting for 3.14 percent of all infections. The recovery rate has now fallen to 95.49 percent, according to the ministry’s latest update.