Guwahati, July 11: The hard lockdown imposed in the populous Kamrup Metropolitan district of Assam will continue till July 19, said a statement issued by the government. The restrictions were earlier scheduled to end on Sunday, but were extended for another week's period in view of the rising coronavirus cases.

The set of curbs will largely continue to remain the same. All non-essential economic activities remain barred. Only pharmaceutical and milk stores would remain open, whereas, vegetable and fruit sellers are allowed to carry out house-to-house sale between 8 am to 2 pm. Assam's COVID-19 Tally Stands at 14,600 Including 27 Deaths.

E-commerce delivery of essential items will be permitted from Monday to Friday between 10 pm to 4 pm. Tea warehouses are allowed to operate with 20 percent of the workforce - provided that the workers remain inside the warehouses.

Full List of Lockdown Guidelines Issued by Kamrup District Admin

Earlier in the day, Assam Cabinet Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma - who is at frontline at the government's efforts in curbing COVID-19 transmission - said citizen groups have asked the government to extend lockdown by two weeks. The health department, however, is in favour of prolonging the restrictions by another week's period.

"Citizen committees have suggested extension of lockdown for another 2 weeks in Kamrup Metropolitan (under which Guwahati falls). However, the health department is in favour of extending it for 1 week. A notification in this regard will be issued tomorrow," said Sarma, who heads the Health portfolio in the state government.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 11, 2020 07:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).