Amid growing concern over the new COVID-19 variant Omicron, two states in India hve announced a night curfew. The night curfew is a precautionary measure ahead of Christmas and New Year’s Eve. The two states are Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh night Curfew
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath Friday issued orders to initiate strict measures, including a statewide night curfew from December 25, in view of a rise in COVID cases in several states.
The COVID-19 night curfew will be applicable from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., a senior official said here.
Chairing a high-level meeting, the chief minister also instructed officials to cap the number of people attending events like marriages to 200. These events have to adhere to COVID-19 guidelines, and organisers will be required to inform the local authorities about these, the official said.
Adityanath also asked the officials to ensure all traders follow the “no mask, no goods” policy at their establishments, he said.
Masks should be made mandatory for everyone on the streets or in the markets. Police should carry out continuous patrols to ensure the guidelines are followed, the official said.
Adityanath directed the officials to ensure that people arriving in Uttar Pradesh from other states or abroad are traced and tested for coronavirus, and extra vigilance is maintained on buses, railway stations and airports, he said.
He asked for a close watch to be kept on the health of those coming from outside the state after testing them, and if required, they should be admitted to hospitals or be quarantined, the senior official said.
Monitoring committees did a commendable job in coronavirus management in the past, and directives have been issued to reactivate them in villages and urban wards, he said.
The chief minister said that in view of the possibility of a third wave of COVID-19, the state made systematic preparations in the past which needed to be re-examined. Facilities available at all government and private medical institutions of the state should be examined closely, and the Covid help desk and the daycare centre in industrial units should be activated, he said.
The situation in the state is under control at present. Forty-nine new cases of the infection were confirmed in the investigation of over 1.91 lakh samples tested in the last 24 hours.
In the same time period, 12 people recovered from the infection, and the total number of active cases in the state now stands at 266. There are no COVID patients in 37 districts, the official said.
Madhya Pradesh night Curfew
Whereas in Madhya Pradesh the government on December 23, imposed a night curfew in the state from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. as a precautionary measure and advised people to strictly follow COVID-19 protocols. The curfew came into force on Thursday night.
Madhya Pradesh has so far not reported any case of Omicron, classified as a ‘variant of concern’ by the WHO.
In view of the rapid spread of the Omicron virus in the world, it is the right time for all to remain alert on the issue. The Centre has also issued guidelines to follow social distancing, use face masks and avoid crowded places.
We have also decided to impose a night curfew from tonight (Thursday) in the entire state from 11 pm to 5 am and will take some more measures if required to deal with the situation, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in his address to the people of the state in the evening.
Besides, the government has also decided that in case any coronavirus positive case is detected in the state, the patient will be kept in home isolation if there is enough space in his/her home, he said.
However, if there is a lack of space at home, then such person should be admitted to the hospital for treatment for the safety of other family members, the chief minister said.
On Thursday, the state reported 30 new cases of COVID-19, a daily figure not seen in the last several weeks.
The continuous increase in the number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi in the last one week is a matter of concern, Chouhan said.
“People keep coming from these states to Madhya Pradesh. Last time also cases started increasing in Maharashtra, then Gujarat and also in Madhya Pradesh. People can’t forget the problems faced during the first and the second waves. Whether it was the first wave or the second, it had started from Indore-Bhopal,” he said.
The weekly cases in Indore and Bhopal have increased by three times in December as compared to November, Chouhan said.
In view of this situation, it is better for people to take precautions now to avoid the arrival of a third wave and as a precautionary measure, a night curfew will come into force from tonight, Chouhan said.
The chief minister said Omicron has already reached 16 states of the country and the possibility of the variant coming to Madhya Pradesh cannot be ruled out.
“In the UK, one lakh coronavirus cases are coming up every day, while in The United States 2.5 lakh cases are being reported per day. In Europe also, it is spreading very fast and therefore, it is time to remain alert,” he added. The state has so far reported 7,93,581 cases of coronavirus and 10,531 deaths linked to the infection.