Chandigarh, August 21: Amid rising COVID-19 cases in Haryana, the state government on Friday decided to close all offices and shops on weekends. However, shops and offices dealing in essential services will be allowed to open. State Health Minister Anil Vij said, "Offices and shops except those selling essential items will remain closed in Haryana on every Saturday and Sunday due to COVID19."

On Thursday, Haryana reported the highest single-day spike of 996 coronavirus cases, just a day after it recorded 994 infections, taking the total number of cases to 50,926, while the state's death toll rose to 578.  It was for the fourth straight day that the state recorded a big spike in cases. On Tuesday, the state had registered 896 cases, and on Monday, 887 infections were reported. Record 994 New COVID Cases in Haryana; 10 Deaths.

Tweet by ANI: 

According to the state health ministry, there are currently over 7,500 active cases, while more than 42,793 COVID-19 patients have been discharged after recovery. As of Thursday, the state's recovery rate was 84.03 percent, while the rate of doubling of infections was 33 days. The state has a fatality rate of 1.13 per cent.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 21, 2020 06:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).