News Analysis India

Tag: Weekend lockdown

  • Weekend lockdown in nine districts of Haryana

    Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH: The Haryana government has imposed weekend lockdown in nine of the 22 districts of the state. The nine districts are: Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, Rohtak, Karnal, Hisar, Sirsa, Fatehabad and Panchkula. As per the orders issued by Chief Secretary Vijai Vardhan, the weekend lockdown will come into force from 10 pm on April 30, (Friday) and continue till 5 am on May 3 (Monday).

    The restrictions are covered under the Disaster Management Act (DMA), 2005. Any person violating the restrictions will be liable to be proceeded against as per the provisions of Sections 51-60 of the DMA, besides legal action under Sec. 188 of the IPC and other legal provisions as applicable. An official said during the lockdown, residents must stay indoors.

    No person shall leave their homes or shall move on foot or by vehicle or travel or stand or roam around on any road or public places during the restriction hours. Those exempt from the measure are persons and services tasked with law and order, emergencies and municipal services, duties including executive magistrates, police personnel, military/CAPF personnel in uniform, health, electricity, fire, media persons with accreditation and government machinery tasked with COVID-related duties.

    He said those exempted for appearing in examination and on exam duties would have to produce admit/ identity cards. Those engaged in the manufacture of essential goods will also be exempt. There shall be no curbs on movement (inter-state and intra-state) of essential and non-essential goods.

    All vehicles or persons in bona fide transit (inter-state or intra-state) shall be allowed to pass, but only after verification of point of origin and destination. Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij said all chief medical officers should ensure that treatment and admission of Covid patients is not affected during the VIP movement in hospitals.

  • COVID-19: RJD, other parties will support Bihar govt if lockdown re-imposed 

    Express News Service
    PATNA: Bihar seems to be heading towards lockdown for a week or more amid huge surge in coronavirus cases. Almost all political parties, barring a few, expressed no objection if a lockdown is imposed in the state.

    Bihar’s principal opposition party RJD backs stricter curbs, including weekend or weekly lockdown if needed to bring the pandemic under control. Attending the virtual all-party meet called by Governor Phagu Chauhan, Tejashwi Yadav suggested if the situation warrants, a weekly lockdown can be imposed to check the menacingly multiplying positive cases.

    “But it should be done after a prior announcement to the people and not without warnings”, he opined. But the left party CPI-ML and the LJP went against the move to impose the lockdown and suggested taking all other steps to safegurad the lives of people.

    State chief of BJP Dr Sanjay Jaiswal suggested a 2-day lockdown from Friday evening at 6 pm to Monday morning at 8am. Dr Jaiswal, who is a medical practitioner, said that a break of 62 hours will prove effective in breaking the transmissions chain of COVID-19 without causing much disruption to normal life in the state. He also suggested declaring summer vacation from April 18 to June 1 to all schools and colleges in view of the emerging Corona menace.

    Congress leader Dr Madan Mohan Jha, who attended the all-party meet, said his party will support a lockdown, be it weekly or fortnightly. “But the state government should resort to lockdown without repeating the past mistakes in which thousands of people had suffered”, he said.

    The leaders of HAM and the VIP also expressed their supports in decisions of the state government to check the pandemic rampaging even if the lockdown is also imposed. But when the media asked CM Nitish Kumar about the possibility of resorting to lockdown, he said that everything would be cleared on Sunday at the meeting of the state Crisis Management Group.

    Meanwhile, reliable sources said that the state government will most probably impose lockdown either for a week or a fortnight. The possibility of imposing lockdown in all districts including Patna where the highest rate of positivity is reported every day is also being considered. 

  • UP coronavirus: Employees of essential industries exempted from 35-hour weekly closure 

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: People employed with continuous process industries and those producing essential items like medicines and sanitiser in Uttar Pradesh will be allowed to go to their workplaces during the 35-hour “weekly closure” form Saturday 8 pm till Monday 7 am, an official said.

    The state government also said that marriages on Saturday and Sunday will take place amid restrictions with only 50 people allowed in closed spaces and 100 in open spaces, and organisers have to ensure COVID-appropriate behaviour.

    Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, the government on Friday had announced the closure during this period of every week till May 15 and also said those caught for the second time not wearing a mask will be fined Rs 10,000.

    The first time fine was doubled to Rs 1,000.

    In a statement issued here on Saturday, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi said, “The chief minister has directed that during the corona-curfew of 35 hours, all continuous process industries and accordingly, their workers shall be allowed movement to their workplaces.”

    “Further, all industries shall open, except those closed on Sunday for weekly off, and particularly pharmaceutical, sanitizer making and other industries which have a direct role in the fight against COVID-19,” the statement said.

    He added that apart from this, all marriages on Saturday and Sunday will be allowed with restrictions of 50 persons inside closed spaces and 100 persons in open spaces with masks, social distancing and use of sanitisers and other precautions as per standard operating procedures.

    All examinations like that for the National Defence Academy will be allowed during the “weekly closure”.

    Examiners and candidates have to show their identity cards to authorities to go to their exam centres, the official said in the statement.

    Public Transport shall be allowed to run with 50 per cent capacity, especially state transport buses, Awasthi said.

    For funeral services at cremation or burial grounds not more than 20 persons shall be allowed, he said.

    Medical and health-related emergency services will remain open during this “weekly closure”.

  • COVID-19: Streets, markets deserted as Maharashtra’s first weekend lockdown comes into force

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The weekend lockdown imposed across Maharashtra to bring under control the COVID-19 surge, has elicited a positive reponse from people so far with the streets and markets in most parts of the state, including Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur, wearing a deserted look, officials said on Saturday.

    However, at some locations in the state, including some market areas in Mumbai, people were seen flouting social distancing and other norms by gathering at one place in large numbers. The first weekend lockdown in the state began at 8 pm on Friday and it will continue till 7 am on Monday.

    The announcement about the weekend lockdown had been made on Sunday, when the state government also declared some other restrictions, like night curfew during the week days and prohibitory orders during the day time as part of its ‘Break the Chain’ COVID-19 action plan.

    The weekend lockdown and other curbs will continue till April 30. In the country’s financial capital, some areas like south Mumbai were completely deserted due to the lockdown. But people in some other pockets of the city, like the market areas in the central parts and some suburbs in the eastern parts, could be seen stepping out of their houses and also crowding at some points.

    Eyewitnesses said that a large number of people were seen in Dadar vegetable market, with many of them not even wearing face masks. At many places in the city, people also made a beeline outside liquor shops. Mumbai police have deployed personnel to ensure that people adhere to the rules.

    Taking to Twitter, Mumbai Police had said, “Indoor Mode: ON! A Friday-evening reminder about the weekend lockdown from 8pm tonight till 7am Monday. We urge all citizens to not step out, except for essential services or medical emergencies. Stay home, Mumbaikars. Help Mumbai stay safe!”

    Indoor Mode: ON!A Friday-evening reminder about the weekend lockdown from 8pm tonight till 7am Monday.We urge all citizens to not step out, except for essential services or medical emergencies.Stay home, Mumbaikars. Help Mumbai stay safe!#BreakTheChain#TakingOnCorona
    — Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) April 9, 2021

    In Pune, the weekend lockdown has so far received a good response as all shops, commercial establishments, major market areas remained shut and there were no people on the roads. “There is a very good response to the weekend lockdown in Pune. Barring medical shops, almost all other shops, commercial establishments and market areas are shut. People are not coming out on the streets and 95 per cent of those who stepped out, had a valid reason to do so,” Joint Commissioner of Police Ravindra Shisave said.

    Police have set up multiple checkpoints in the city to ensure that peole follow the lockdown in letter and spirit. The lockdown in Pune had started at 6 pm on Friday. In Aurangabad, the weekend lockdown brought the movement of people under control.

    People have deferred their travel plans and the movement of public transport vehicles has also declined, a senior official told PTI on Saturday. “The weekend lockdown in Aurangabad district had come into effect from the second week of March due to the spike in cases. This was done to avoid unnecessary rush during the weekends,” DCP Nikhesh Khatmode said.

    Nagpur Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar told PTI that the weekend lockdown in the city has received a good response so far.