The Himachal Pradesh government on Wednesday decided to impose a lockdown in the state from May 7 to May 16 to check the spread of COVID-19, an official said here.

The decision to impose the “corona curfew” in the state was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, the spokesperson added.

While government and private offices and establishments will remain closed during the lockdown period, essential services such as those related to health, electricity, telecommunication, water supply and sanitation will be exempted, the official said.

The cabinet decided that work would continue at civil work sites and horticultural, agricultural and other projects, while educational institutions would remain closed till May 31, he said.

Government and private transport vehicles will be allowed to ply with 50 per cent occupancy, and inter-state transportation will continue, the official added.

Industrial establishments will work as per guidelines issued by the state government, he said.

The cabinet also decided to cancel the Class 10 board exams of the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education. All students will be promoted to Class 11 as per norms suggested by the CBSE for its students of the same class, the official said.

The board exams of Class 12 and the annual examinations of colleges will remain suspended until further orders, he said.