GUWAHATI: Assam will reopen completely from February 15 as the Covid cases have dipped significantly.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said board exams of classes 10 and 12, civic polls, by-elections to Majuli seat, and Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council elections would be held in the next two months. He, however, said the students appearing for the exams must be fully vaccinated.
The government also decided to lift the night curfew and allow malls, cinema halls to operate at full capacity. There will also be no restrictions on wedding hours but the guests have to be fully vaccinated. Mask-wearing will be mandatory.
Sarma appealed to Bihu committees to not harass businessmen and traders for donations.
“Let the shops and commercial establishments to function fully, so we can revive our economy,” he said, adding, “The traders have suffered a lot in the three Covid waves and many of them committed suicide.”
The CM said the state government would provide financial assistance of Rs 1.5 lakh to the committees which have been organising the Rongali Bihu programmes for the past 10 years.
The Rongali Bihu could not be celebrated publicly in the state in the last two years due to the pandemic.
Sunday’s Covid test positivity in Assam was 2.39%. The state now has 8,354 active cases.