The Haryana government on January 11 invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) in the state, prohibiting healthcare workers from going on strike for the next six months.
The announcement was made by Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in the state. Haryana reported 5,736 fresh infections and five deaths on Monday, taking the state’s active COVID-19 case count to 22,477, and its total COVID-19 case count to 7,99,887. As it stands, the state has a positivity rate of 5.34% and a fatality rate of 1.29%, and the government is taking measures to ensure that the numbers do not take a turn for the worse.
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Earlier on Monday, the government also imposed several restrictions in the state till January 19, in a bid to slow down the spread of the coronavirus. As per an order issued by the Haryana State Disaster Management Authority (HSDMA), the state will observe several restrictions till 5am on January 19.
Under the new set of restrictions, all large public gatherings, including rallies, protests, dharnas etc. have been prohibited. Malls and markets will be allowed to remain open till 6pm, but shops selling essential items will be allowed to operate as per normal schedule to ensure that the public does not face difficulties in their day-to-day lives.
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As per an earlier order, cinema halls, multiplexes, and theatres will remain closed, along with all sports facilities, barring their use by professional sportspersons for national or international events.
All workplaces apart from essential or emergency services will have to operate at 50% capacity, while all entertainment parks have been shut and B2B exhibitions have been prohibited.
A night curfew between 11pm and 5am is already in place in the state, and the government has prohibited people who are not fully vaccinated from entering public places since January 1.
