After Lucknow, UP’s Moradabad imposes night curfew to check Covid-19 cases

Authorities in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad on Friday decided to impose a night curfew from 10pm to 6am for a week in a bid to check the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) as the nation witnesses a surge in infections. The curfew will begin on Friday night and will continue till April 16, the district administration said in a statement.

The directive issued by the district magistrate pointed out that essential services will continue functioning normally during the curfew period. The district administration said that essential services like health services, doorstep delivery of essential items like medicines, food items like fruit and vegetables, cooking gas cylinder and compressed natural gas (CNG) will not come under the ambit of curfew. It also highlighted that people involved in these activities will be allowed to work seamlessly and they will have to present their identification cards, stating the reason for being out during curfew hours.

The statement also outlined that people travelling to and from railway stations and bus stands will not be stopped. “The bus and train tickets should have the travel date and those tickets will be considered as passes for people travelling during the curfew time. Travellers are urged to keep their tickets with them and are requested to present them to the authorities if asked,” it said.

Goods carriers, petrol stations, toll plazas and CNG stations will not fall under the ambit of the curfew. The curfew will also exempt workers involved in sanitation and cleaning duties, employees associated with the state electric corporation, roadway and railways. Media personnel will also be allowed to work but they have been urged to carry their identity cards with them at all times. Factories have also been allowed to operate during curfew hours keeping in mind Covid-19 preventative measures. Factory workers working night shifts have been asked to carry their identification cards with them.

Other people involved in essential services like security guards, ATM maintenance workers, telecom operators, electricians, plumbers, air conditioner mechanics will be allowed to operate once they state their reason for travel.

Several districts in Uttar Pradesh have imposed night curfews in the wake of the surge in Covid-19 cases. Gautam Buddh Nagar, Allahabad, Meerut, Bareilly, Kanpur, Lucknow and Ghaziabad have imposed night curfews this week. The state reported 8,490 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday and 39 fresh fatalities. UP has recorded 654,404 Covid-19 cases and 9,003 related deaths so far.