Just a day before Eid-ul-Fitr, streets of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday wear a deserted look as COVID-19 induced lockdown was extended till May 17 to tackle the COVID-19 situation.The shops remain closed as the lockdown was extended in the Union Territory by the government.No vehicles were plying on the road, except essential services. At many places, police had blocked the roads with barricades.Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday appealed to the people to follow the COVID curfew imposed in the Union Territory.The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Sunday extended the curfew in the union territory till 7 am on May 17 in a bid to tackle the surge in Covid-19 cases.The curfew will remain in force till May 17. The administration has imposed the curfew in 20 districts of the union territory, however, allowing essential services to function normally.As per the official order, the gathering permissible for marriages is reduced to 25 from the current 50 with effect from Sunday itself.Jammu and Kashmir reported 4,509 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, said the health department of the Union Territory on Wednesday.
