Fact Check: Haryana govt has not ordered shops to close down by 6 pm on 31 Dec

The viral message in Hindi can be translated as, "BREAKING NEWS Haryana markets to be closed from 6 p.m tomorrow. Night curfew timing extended - CM. Markets will be closed in Haryana from tomorrow at 6 o'clock, crowds should not gather at non-essential places."

Fact Check

The claim is false.

NewsMeter performed a keyword search and found a report by Zee News dated 22 April 2021. The headline read, "Shops to close by 6 pm, non-essential gatherings banned: Haryana govt orders fresh restrictions".

According to the report, "Having witnessed a rapid surge in COVID-19 cases in recent days, the Haryana government on April 22, 2021 announced several restrictions to control the spread, including the closure of shops by 6 pm and a ban on all non-essential gatherings. The Haryana government had also imposed coronavirus-induced night curfew from 10 pm to 5 in the state after a surge in the cases."

The news was also published by various mainstream media organizations, including Economic Times, Hindustan Times, and The Times of India. The reports also stated that the government had banned all non-essential gatherings.

Home and health minister of Haryana, Anil Vij, had tweeted about the restrictions on 22 April 2021. The tweet read, "All shops will remain closed from 6 pm onward in Haryana from Tomorrow, all non essential gatherings are banned, anybody holding any function within prescribed limit will have to seek permission from concerned SDM (sic)."

Meanwhile, The Indian Express had reported on 30 December 2021, "By December 29 evening, there were 14 Omicron cases, of which three were active while 11 have been discharged from various Covid facilities treating such patients. Till date, there were 530 Covid patients who were currently under home isolation in Haryana. Of the 217 new cases reported on December 29, there were 151 in Gurgaon and 30 in Faridabad districts."

Another report by Hindustan Times published on 25 December 2021 said, "The Haryana government had issued a 'Mahamari surakshit' alert across the state by imposing the restrictions on the movement of people from 11 pm to 5 am. The government has put curbs on the number of people gathering at social functions, and made double vaccination mandatory to enter public places from January 01, 2022."

It is therefore evident that the claim made through the viral message is false. While Haryana has seen a surge in Omicron cases, it has not ordered shops to shut down by 6 p.m on 31 December nor has it extended night curfew timings.