News Analysis India

Tag: Night curfew

  • COVID-19: Gujarat orders three lakh Remdesivir injections, imposes night lockdown in 20 cities

    By PTI
    SURAT: The Gujarat government has placed an order to procure 3 lakh Remdesivir injections for the treatment of critical COVID-19 patients in the state, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said on Tuesday.

    Remdesivir is considered a key anti-viral drug in the fight against COVID-19, especially in adult patients with severe complications.

    On the possibility of imposing a lockdown in the state as suggested by the Gujarat High Court on Tuesday, Rupani said an “appropriate decision” will be taken soon after consulting the government’s core group.

    Rupani was in Surat to chair a meeting of senior officials to review the preparedness of the local administration to deal with a sudden spike in coronavirus cases in the city, where over 600 new infections were reported on Monday.

    He urged people not to panic in view of an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases in parts of the state.

    “The COVID-19 infection has spread further. As much as 60 per cent of the cases (in Gujarat) are from four major cities, including Surat.”

    “And, it seems that cases will increase further. But, people should not panic. People should take necessary precautions to stay safe,” Rupani told reporters after the meet.

    “People are complaining about a shortage of Remdesivir. My government has placed an order to procure 3 lakh Remdesivir injections from a Gujarat-based pharma company, which has already started supplying around 20,000 injections every day. There will not be any shortage now,” he assured.

    The chief minister said his government has stepped up the vaccination drive as well as testing to curb the spread of the coronavirus infection.

    Around 1.2 lakh persons are now being tested for coronavirus across the state daily, while an average 4 lakh beneficiaries are being covered under the vaccination drive per day, said Rupani.

    He said Surat will get 300 ventilators, 50 new ‘Sanjeevani Rath’ (medical) vans and 800 additional beds at Kidney Hospital for coronavirus patients.

    The state on Tuesday announced a curfew from 8 pm to 6 am in 20 cities in the state, which will come into force from Wednesday, till April 30.

    Earlier in the day, the Gujarat High Court had observed that the COVID-19 situation in the state was getting “out of control”, and suggested a curfew or lockdown could be imposed for three to four days to break the infection chain.

    Earlier, the curfew was in force from 9 pm to 6 am in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot cities in Gujarat.

    The government has also banned political or social gatherings till April 30 and reduced the number of guests who can attend a marriage ceremony.

    The decision to impose the night curfew was taken in the meeting of a core group for coronavirus headed by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

    Union Home Minister Amit Shah and principal secretary in Prime Ministers Office (PMO) P K Mishra also joined the meeting held here in the night.

    “COVID-19 cases are on the rise every day. Home minister Amit Shah and, principal secretary in the PMO P K Mishra today joined our core group meeting on coronavirus and guided us,” Rupani said after attending the meeting.

    “The High Court has given us some suggestions and we have decided on it. Earlier we had imposed a curfew in four big cities of the state. Now we have decided to implement a night curfew in 20 cities of the state,” Rupani said.

    He said the timing of the new curfew will be from 8 pm to 6 am.

    Rupani said the Centre will send a team of medical experts to Gujarat which will help the state government to devise a strategy to check the rise in the cases.

    The high-level meeting between top officials of the Gujarat government, Shah, and officials of the PMO was held hours after a HC bench headed by Chief Justice Vikram Nath observed that the pandemic situation in the state was getting out of control.

    The bench suggested that a curfew or lockdown could be imposed for three to four days to break the infection chain.

    The cities where the curfew is being imposed are Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamangar, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Gandhinagar, Anand, Nadiad, Mehasana, Morbi, Dahod, Patan, Godhra, Bhuj, Gandhidham, Bharuch, Surendranagar and Amreli.

    Meanwhile, in view of the rise in cases, the state government has reduced the number of people who can attend a marriage ceremony to 100 now from 200, the CM said.

    “Besides, no political or social gathering will be allowed in the state till April 30. In any other type of gathering, only 50 persons will be allowed,” Rupani said.

    He said the areas under the poll-bound Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation and Morva Hadaf assembly constituency were exempted from the curbs.

    Rupani said the government offices will remain shut in the state every Saturday and Sunday of this month.

    The chief minister said the state government has also decided to ramp up the number of RT-PCR tests.

    “Contact tracing will be increased to identify the infected people. Such patients will be isolated so that the chain of the infection can be broken. We have decided to strictly implement restrictions in micro containment zones and the help of the police will be taken,” he added.

    Rupani said 70 per cent of oxygen produced by manufacturers will now be kept reserved for medical use instead of the previous ceiling of 60 per cent.

    The CM also said the number of beds in hospitals is being increased and assured that there was no shortage of beds in the state for treatment of COVID-19 patients.

    Gujarat reported 3,280 fresh coronavirus positive cases in the last 24 hours, the highest rise in a day, taking the tally of infections to 3,24,878 while 17 deaths pushed the toll to 4,598, according to the state health department.

  • UP registers 5,928 fresh COVID cases; HC asks Yogi government to consider night curfew

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: The COVID-19 death toll in Uttar Pradesh rose to 8,924 on Tuesday with 30 more people succumbing to the disease while 5,928 fresh cases in a day pushed the infection tally to 6,39,928.

    In view of the recent surge in daily coronavirus cases in the state capital, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has stopped physical hearing of cases and decided to conduct hearing of only urgent matters through videoconferencing.

    As of now, the decision is for this whole week.

    Of the 30 COVID-19 deaths reported in a day in Uttar Pradesh, seven were reported from Lucknow, four from Kanpur, three from Allahabad, two each from Varanasi, Muzaffarnagar and Sitapur, and one each from Gautam Buddh Nagar, Moradabad, Hardoi, Pratapgarh, Basti, Sultanpur, Unnao, Bijnor, Jalaun and Kanpur Dehat.

    Of the 5,928 fresh COVID-19 cases, Lucknow reported 1,188, Allahabad 915, Varanasi 711 and Kanpur 306.

    So far, 6,03,495 COVID-19 patients in the state have recovered from the disease, the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement here on Tuesday.

    Six students of Muzaffarnagar Medical College, who were staying at the institute’s hostel, were among the 85 COVID-19 cases reported from the district.

    The number of active coronavirus cases in the district stood at 389.

    Thirty-nine doctors of King George’s Medical University (KGMU), including the vice-chancellor, have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last three days, a senior doctor said.

    “KGMU vice-chancellor Lieutenant General (retired) Dr Bipin Puri tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, while medical superintendent Prof D Himanshu tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.

    In the last three days, 39 doctors of KGMU have tested positive for COVID-19,” he said.

    “Both the vice-chancellor and medical superintendent have got both the doses of anti-COVID vaccine,” he added.

    BJP MP from Jhansi-Lalitpur parliamentary constituency Anurag Sharma has also tested positive for COVID-19, his private secretary Atul Agarwal said.

    Currently, Sharma’s condition is normal and he has quarantined himself, Agarwal said.

    The count of active COVID-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh stands at 27,509.

    The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad HC has stopped physical hearing of cases.

    The senior registrar of the court issued an administrative order in this respect on Tuesday.

    The court had deferred regular hearing since April 5 and only urgent matters were being taken up with strict guidelines on entry of lawyers in courtrooms.

    But considering the COVID-19 situation, the court administration has passed a new order restricting itself to only videoconferencing.

    In the order, the senior registrar said a link would be sent on registered mobile numbers to those lawyers whose urgent cases would be listed on a particular day.

    Meanwhile, the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday asked the state government to examine the viability of imposing a night curfew to check late evening social gatherings.

    A two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Siddhartha Varma passed the direction while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) on COVID-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh.

    “Though the state government has taken necessary steps to meet the threat of the second wave of COVID-19, it is noticed that the directions given by the state have not been complied with by the public at large and that is an issue of concern,” the bench observed.

    “We deem it appropriate to direct the district magistrates of all districts in the state of Uttar Pradesh to ensure strict and definite compliance of the directions issued by the government of Uttar Pradesh from time to time to meet the threat of COVID-19,” it said.

    The court asked district administrations, including police authorities to ensure that everyone wears a mask.

    The director general of police should chalk out a plan at his level for this purpose.

    “District administration including police authorities should see that no crowding takes place at any place all over the state of UP. If it finds that any particular place is likely to get crowded, then it should cordon off that area and see that people do not huddle,” it said.

    On the upcoming panchayat polls, the bench said they should be conducted in such a manner that no congregation of people takes place.

    Be it nomination, canvassing or voting, it should be seen that all COVID-19 protocols are observed.

    “In addition to the above directions, we deem it appropriate to ask the state government to check the viability of vaccination for one and all and not just for citizens above the age of 45.

    The government should check the viability of inoculating such students who are to appear in the Uttar Pradesh high school and intermediate examinations.

    In fact, a door-to-door vaccination programme should be chalked out,” it said.

    “The state government may also examine the viability of providing masks and sanitisers to one by utilising the amount recovered on account of violation of COVID-19 protocols.

    The general public should also realise its responsibility towards the COVID-19 protocol,” it added.

    The court has fixed April 8 for the next hearing of the PIL through videoconferencing.

    The lawyers would be at liberty to join the video conference from their chamber.

    In case, any lawyer has difficulty in joining from his chamber, he can use the video conference cabins prepared at the mediation centre in court premises.

    The court also has stopped physical hearing of matters due to a recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the state capital.

    It has decided to conduct hearing of only urgent cases through video conferencing and as of now, the decision is for this week.

    The senior registrar of the court issued an administrative order to this effect on Tuesday.

    The court deferred regular hearings on Monday and only urgent matters were being taken up with strict guidelines on the entry of lawyers in court rooms.

    But considering the COVID-19 situation, the court administration passed a new order, restricting itself to only video conferencing.

    In the order, the senior registrar said that a link would be sent on registered mobile numbers to those lawyers whose urgent cases would be listed on a particular day.

    The lawyers would be at liberty to join the video conference from their chambers.

    In case, any lawyer has difficulty joining the viceo conference from his chamber, she can use the VC cabins prepared at the mediation centre in the court premises, according to the order.

  • COVID-19: Over 36,000 new cases in Maharashtra; night curfew in state from Sunday

    By Express News Service
    Night curfew will be back in Maharashtra from Sunday as the state continues to register record surge in fresh cases, becoming the lead contributor in driving up the nationwide Covid-19 infection count. Maharashtra recorded 36,902 new cases on Friday, the highest single-day rise since the pandemic began, with capital Mumbai also reporting its biggest ever tally of 5,515 new cases.

    In view of the alarming increase, night curfew will be imposed in the entire state from March 28. Malls will have to remain shut from 8 pm to 7 am. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also warned of stricter restrictions if the people did not observe safety protocol.

    Thackeray reviewed the situation at a meeting with divisional commissioners, district collectors, SPs and deans of medical colleges and asked officials to ensure availability of adequate hospital beds and medicines.

    The other states that reported surge on Friday are Punjab, Gujarat, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh. Gujarat recorded 2,190 new cases, its highest daily rise so far, taking the total caseload to 2,96,320. The one-day spike in cases has crossed the 2,000-mark in the state for the first time since the pandemic outbreak. 

    Punjab also reported its highest 24-hour spike, recording 3,176 new cases on Friday, surpassing the previous record of 2,896 cases on September 17 last year. The nationwide tally saw a single-day spike of 59,118 new infections, the highest this year. Worried over the upward trend, the Union Health Ministry has rushed two high-level multi-disciplinary teams to Chhattisgarh and Chandigarh that will work with the respective governments to assist in undertaking gap analysis and recommend requisite containment measures.

    Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said the surge is being closely monitored and measures being taken to arrest the trend. The Centre is planning to widen the scope of the immunisation drive, he added. In a communication to chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories, Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla asked them to ensure strict adherence to all safety protocols, particularly in view of upcoming festivals such as Holi, Shab-e-Barat, harvesting festivals, Easter, Eid-ul-Fitr, etc. 

  • Rajasthan imposes night curfew in 8 cities from Monday; visitors told to carry COVID negative report

    By PTI
    JAIPUR: Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, the Rajasthan government has decided to impose night curfew in eight cities from 11 pm to 5 am and ordered closure of markets by 10 pm from Monday.

    The government has also made it mandatory for people coming to Rajasthan from other states to carry a COVID-19 negative test report along with them from March 25.

    If passengers do not have the negative test report, they will have to stay in quarantine for 15 days, according to an official statement.

    Passengers will also be examined at airports, bus stands and railway stations.

    The decisions were taken in a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

    The night curfew will be imposed in Ajmer, Bhilwara, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Udaipur, Sagwada (Dungarpur) and Kushalgarh (Banswara) from 11 pm to 5 am.

    The night curfew will not be applicable to those factories which have continuous production and have a system of night shifts.

    Also IT companies, restaurants, medical shops, offices-related to essential and emergency services, wedding ceremonies, medical institutes, bus stands, railway stations and airports will be exempted from the night curfew.

    A total of 476 fresh COVID-19 cases were reported in Rajasthan on Sunday, while two more people succumbed to the disease.

    Of the new cases, a maximum of 86 cases were reported from Jaipur, among others.

    At present, there are 3,585 active cases in the state.

    The chief minister directed officials for strict implementation of coronavirus-related protocols and to allow a limited number of people in ceremonies and programmes.

    In the review meeting, the chief minister said COVID-19 cases are increasing rapidly in many countries of the world as well as in many states of India.

    In Rajasthan also, the daily count has suddenly increased in the last few days.

    In such a situation, it is necessary to take some steps to save the lives of people from the second wave of COVID-19, the statement quoting Gehlot said.

    The government has made RT-PCR negative report (not older than 72 hours) mandatory for all passengers coming to Rajasthan from March 25.

    All district collectors have also been asked to restart the institutional quarantine facilities in their districts.

    The system of mini-containment zones will be implemented again, according to the statement.

    “Wherever there are more than five positive cases, that cluster or apartment will be declared as a contention zone,” it said.

    Primary schools will remain closed till further orders.

    In the classes above primary and in colleges, educational activities will be conducted with the COVID-19 protocol.

    Only with the written consent of parents, children will be able to come to educational institutions.

    Not more than 50 per cent of the students will be present in the class at a time.

    In cities with more than one lakh population, a maximum of 200 people will be allowed in public events at open spaces, according to the statement.

    The chief minister appealed to the people to avoid going to crowded places during festivals.

  • Night curfew imposed in Ludhiana from 9 pm to 5 am

    By ANI
    LUDHIANA: In a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19 infection, the Ludhiana district administration has imposed night curfew between 9 pm to 5 am for an indefinite period.

    “We have imposed night curfew between 9 pm to 5 am till indefinite period. We will do a review later but now it is for an indefinite period. Night curfews are intended to discourage unnecessary gatherings at night,” informed Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner, Varinder Sharma.

    “For the last two weeks, the number of cases has increased quite much. Earlier, we used to do 4000 tests with about one per cent positivity rate, now it has gone up to 5-6 per cent. The average number of deaths per week was seven, now it is 25-30. This is a cause of worry,” Sharma said.

    He further added that another cause of concern is the consistent rise in the number of hospitalisations.

    “At present, we have 377 hospitalised patients, which was 27 two weeks ago. More and more younger people are being hospitalised and also from far-flung places, not just from the cities,” he further said.

    “We are going to hold a meeting with big hospitals today and will increase the number of beds in them,” he added.

    He also urged the people to strictly comply with COVID-19 appropriate behaviour, mask-wearing, and follow social distancing.”

    I also appeal to the public to get vaccinated. The central and state governments have spent crores of money to build the infrastructure. We have to trust science. I have already had two jabs, we are fine,” he added.

    Meanwhile, India has reported 39,726 fresh COVID-19 cases, 20,654 recoveries and 154 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the Union Health Ministry.

    As many as 3,93,39,817 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine had been administered till 8 am on Friday in what is billed as the largest vaccination drive in the world.

  • CM Amarinder announces two-hour extension in night curfew in nine worst-hit districts of Punjab

    By ANI
    CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday said that curfew will be extended by two hours in nine districts of Punjab that are worst affected by the coronavirus.

    The curfew is imposed from 9 pm to 5 am from March 18 in the districts of Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Mohali, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Ropar that have been reporting more than 100 cases daily.

    The announcement came as Punjab’s daily cases shot up to 2039 with 35 deaths on Wednesday.

    Addressing media persons through video-conferencing, Chief Minister said, “COVID-19 situation is very dangerous in the state, around 2000 cases today” and warned about “several more tough measures and restrictions over the next few days”.

    “On tackling coronavirus, I’m going to be very tough though some may not like it. The curfew will start from 9 pm instead of 11 pm from today in nine districts of the state that have an increase in the number of corona cases,” he further said.

    “Several stringent measures, including restrictions on gatherings, will be announced after discussions with the state government’s expert Covid team over the next couple of days,” he said.

    “Whether these will include restrictions on political gatherings was also something that will be decided as per the medical expert team’s advice,” he added.

    He urged the people of Punjab to get medical care immediately when symptoms are noticed.

    “The problem was people were going to hospitals too late,” he said.

    He appealed to all citizens to wear masks and maintain social distance, warning that penalties may also be enhanced if required.

    “While his government was taking all possible measures to check the spread of the virus, the Chief Minister hoped the Centre would accept his suggestion (submitted at the Prime Minister’s meeting yesterday) on opening up the vaccination to younger people in the worst-hit areas and also to all those in public dealing,” said an official statement of Punjab government.

    “To a question on Himachal Pradesh CM’s statement seeking curbs on people coming in from Punjab for pilgrimage and religious purposes, Captain Amarinder said he was not in favour of restricting religious movement,” the release said.

    “But the Covid problem needs to be controlled, and an appropriate decision will be taken when he gets a formal letter from the chief minister of the neighbouring state on this issue,” further said the release. (ANI)

  • Night crufew in Sikkim from Wednesday to check COVID-19

    By PTI
    GANGTOK: Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Wednesday announced that night curfew will be imposed in the state from tonight in the wake of a spurt in COVID-19 cases.

    In addition to the night curfew to be imposed after 10 pm, it has been decided to close restaurants, bars, discos, pubs and gyms at 10 pm throughout the state, Tamang said in a social media post.

    Vehicles too will be barred from plying in the state after 10.30 pm, Tamang said.

    The chief minister also appealed to the people of Sikkim to regularly wear masks and continue to follow social distancing norms as per COVID-19 protocol.

    He issued the instructions in the social media soon after attending the video conference OF Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the chief ministers to review the situation arising out of the recent increase in COVID-19 cases across the country.

  • Bus services, zoo, public gardens closed in Ahmedabad, home quarantine rules kick in Surat as Gujarat’s COVID-19 situation worsens

    By PTI
    AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat government on Wednesday said that as part of the measures to control the spread of coronavirus, it has decided to increase the number of daily testing and vaccination besides putting special focus on contact tracing and increasing the number of micro containment areas wherever necessary.

    This was decided at a core committee meeting held to review the pandemic situation in the state on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

    It was held hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted a video conference meeting with the chief ministers on the issue.

    During the meeting, it was decided to assign the responsibility of four metros in the state – Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot – to senior officers to offer guidance to the local bodies.

    Rupani said that the number of COVID-19 tests will be increased and the vaccine doses will be given to three lakh beneficiaries everyday as against one-and-a-half lakh presently by increasing the number of centres and extending the timing till 9 pm, a release issued by the Chief Minister’s Office said.

    “Special focus will be given to contact tracing and increasing the number of containment zones wherever necessary,” it said.

    Rupani also instructed the Home Department to strictly implement the rules of mandatory face masks and social distancing.

    “In view of the increasing cases of coronavirus transmission in four metros in the state, the responsibility of these cities has been handed over to four senior officers on an urgent basis to offer guidance to the local bodies to control the infection and take treatment measures,” it said.

    The responsibility of Ahmedabad has been assigned the Additional Chief Secretary Rajiv Gupta, vadodara to Education Secretary Vinod Rao, Rajkot to Industry Commissioner Rahul Gupta, and Surat to GIDC Managing Director N Thennarasan.

    Amid the spike in COVID-19 cases, the Ahmedabad civic body has decided to shut its city bus service- AMTS and BRTS – from Thursday, said its PRO.

    Gujarat Wednesday reported 1,122 new COVID-19 cases, out of which the four districts of Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot and vadodara alone accounted for 850 cases.

    The Ahmedabad civic body on Wednesday announced the closure of the city zoo, lakefront and all public gardens here in view of the rising COVID-19 cases.

    On Tuesday, the city recorded 241 new cases of coronavirus, a sharp increase from 40 cases reported a month back on February 16.

    The COVID-19 tally in the city has gone up to 60,992, as per official figures.

    “It has been decided to close all the gardens, Kankaria Lakefront, zoo, etc from March 18 till further orders in view of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) said in a release.

    The Gujarat government on Tuesday increased the night curfew timings in Ahmedabad and three other major cities — Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot — by two hours.

    The curfew will now remain in force from 10 pm to 6 am, instead of the previous timings of 12 am to 6 am, till March 31.

    As of Tuesday, there were 60 ‘micro-containment’ areas (where a number of COVID-19 cases have been found) in the city, the civic body said.

    Ahmedabad has so far reported 2,269 deaths due to COVID-19, while 58,043 have recovered from the disease.

    The COVID-19 recovery rate in the city stood at 95.3 per cent, as per the civic body.

    Meanwhile, the Surat Municipal Corporation on Wednesday issued a notification making seven-day home quarantine mandatory for people travelling to the city from outside Gujarat.

    The notification, issued under provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act, said if a person shows any symptom of the viral infection while in quarantine, he should immediately get tested.

    “People coming to Surat city from outside Gujarat will have to undergo mandatory seven-day home quarantine and remain in isolation to prevent others at home from getting infected,” the notification said.

    Those violating the order will face action under Indian Penal Code Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act and the Disaster Management Act, it stated.

    The civic body on Tuesday said people working in textile and diamond industries here are required to get themselves tested for the viral infection once a week.

    In daily tests, majority of those found infected are associated with the textile business, it had said, adding that testing has been intensified in crowded places, including diamond and textile units and educational institutions.

    On Tuesday, Surat reported 263 cases, the highest in the state, raising the infection count in the city to 42,979, according to the civic body.

    The city’s recovery rate stands at 95.22 per cent, with a total of 40,924 patients discharged so far, as per official data.

  • Night curfew in Indore, Bhopal from Wednesday as Madhya Pradesh sees COVID-19 spike

    By Express News Service
    BHOPAL: In view of rising Covid cases in the state, the Madhya Pradesh government on Tuesday decided to impose night curfew in Bhopal and Indore municipal areas and ordered closure of shops at 10 pm in eight other cities.

    The restrictions will come into force from Wednesday, an official said. The decision was taken by CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan after reviewing the Covid-19 situation at a meeting with senior officials, he said.

    The night curfew will be in place in Indore and Bhopal cities from 10 PM to 6 AM, an order issued by Additional chief secretary (Home) Rajesh Rajora said.

    Essential services such as medical shops, ration shops and eateries will be exempted from curfew.

    Passengers arriving from outside by flight, train or bus will be allowed to travel to their destination even after 10 PM.

    Shops will remain closed in Indore, Bhopal,  Jabalpur, Gwalior, Ujjain, Ratlam, Chhindwara, Burhanpur, Betul and Khargone cities (which are district headquarters) from 10 pm to 6 am. 

    No public programs will be allowed on the occasion on Holi but individual celebration of the festival will be allowed.

    Permission of the district administration in these ten districts is mandatory if more than 100 persons are expected to take part in any social, educational, political, religious, sports, entertainment or cultural program.

    Thermal screening and one-week isolation for those coming from neighbouring Maharashtra will continue.

    Madhya Pradesh on Monday reported 797 new coronavirus cases, taking the tally of infections to 2,69,391.

    The death toll reached 3,890 with three more fatalities.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Night curfew likely in Indore, Bhopal soon to check rising COVID-19 cases

    Express News Service
    BHOPAL: With the fresh wave of the COVID-19 pandemic showing no signs of decline, Madhya Pradesh is likely to impose night curfew in its two premier cities Bhopal and Indore from Sunday or Monday night. The two cities have been reporting more than half of the total number of new daily cases in the state.

    CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan dropped enough hints about imposing night curfew in the two cities after chairing a COVID-19 review meeting in Bhopal, which was attended through a video link by the coronavirus control nodal officers-in-charge of all the districts on Friday evening.

    “COVID-19 is spreading fast again in the state, which is a cause of concern. The spread of the killer virus has to be stopped. All possible efforts, including public awareness programmes, need to be taken immediately. But if the COVID-19 cases continue to rise, then a night curfew could be imposed in Bhopal and Indore from Sunday or Monday night. Instructions have been issued to ensure that in every public hall, only half of the maximum capacity be allowed,” Chouhan said at the meeting.

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    Elaborating further on the situation on Saturday, Chouhan said, “a final decision will be made about Bhopal and Indore on Monday. We need to particularly focus on 10 districts, which are daily reporting more than 10 cases.”

    According to the state COVID-19 situation bulletin released on Friday night, the state reported 603 new cases and two deaths. Out of the 603 new cases, around 60% or 357 cases were reported from Indore and Bhopal. While Indore reported 219 cases, Bhopal reported 138 cases. The other districts, which reported significant number of cases, included Jabalpur with 26 cases, Gwalior with 25 cases and Maharashtra’s neighbouring Chhindwara with 19 cases.

    The CM asked the administration in various districts to encourage people to religiously adhere to all COVID-19 safety norms. In districts such as Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Chhindwara, Burhanpur, Khargone, Ratlam, Ujjain, Betul, Sagar, Rewa, and Khandwa, the police and local municipal bodies should use public address systems on vehicles to ensure that people wear the mask, adhere to social distancing norms, and also adopt all other COVID-19 safety norms.

    The CM laid particular emphasis on the districts bordering Maharashtra. “All passengers coming from Maharashtra via air, rail, and road routes need to strictly undergo thermal screening and be made to compulsorily wear masks.” The meeting also discussed the possibility of limiting the movement of people from Maharashtra into MP.

    With the festival season being close, the CM directed to particularly focus on the thermal screening of migrant workers who have started coming home in various parts of MP from the other states.