Bhopal, Oct 23 (IANS): The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to extend the arrangement of five-day week in its offices across the state till March 2022 in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

A notification in this regard was issued by the general administration department of the state government on Saturday. "The arrangement of five-day week (from Monday to Friday) in government offices across the state has been extended till March 31, 2022 for protection and to prevent the spread of Covid-19 pandemic," the notification said.

Earlier, the state government had introduced the five-day week norm in its offices till October 31. The order was implemented from July 22 when the offices reopened after lockdown during the second wave of the pandemic.

With eight new cases reported on Friday, the cumulative Covid tally in Madhya Pradesh has risen to 7,92,729.

The death toll remained unchanged for the last few days and stood at 10,523, while the recovery count was pegged at 7,82,126, leaving the state with 80 active cases, a health department official had said.

However, Covid protection norms are being flouted even in the state capital - Bhopal. Wearing masks and maintaining social distance is nowhere visible in the city. With Diwali festival round the corner, people are thronging the city markets, but very few would be seen wearing masks.