Allahabad HC imposes Covid curbs in 5 UP cities, says order nowhere close to complete lockdown
Five cities in Uttar Pradesh- Prayagraj, Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur Nagar and Gorakhpur- will be placed under curbs from tonight till April 26 to arrest the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). The Allahabad high court on Monday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to close all establishments private or government-run in these cities. However, those offering essential services will be exempted, the high court said in its order and also clarified that it is not imposing a lockdown in all of Uttar Pradesh.
Confirming the development, state's additional chief secretary (Information) Navneet Sehgal told news agency ANI will not impose lockdown but will impose strict restrictions in these cities. " The UP Government is submitting its reply before the Court on its observations," Sehgal added.
The order was passed by a bench of justices Siddhartha Varma and Ajit Kumar. It noted the recent Covid-19 surge in these cities has ‘virtually incapacitated’ Uttar Pradesh’s entire medical infrastructure.
According to the high court order, financial institutions, medical and health services, industrial and scientific establishments, essential services including municipal functions and public transport will be exempted.
All grocery and other commercial shops with more than three workers will remain shut till April 26. However, medical shops will continue to operate during this period, the order stated adding all malls, hotels and restaurants along with food carts will be closed too.
Religious activities, places of worship and marriages will remain suspended during the duration of the lockdown. However, in case of a marriage already fixed, permission will be required from the district magistrate of the concerned district. Gatherings in such marriages will be restricted to 25, the high court order said.
No public movement on roads apart from medical help and emergencies will be allowed in Prayagraj, Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur Nagar and Gorakhpur till April 26. All hawkers, including those selling fruits, vegetables, milk and bread, shall be off the road by 11am everyday till the lockdown is in place, the order said.
Uttar Pradesh, which is one of the worst-hit states from the pandemic across India, has so far registered 851,620 cases, 9,830 deaths and 650,333 recoveries. On Sunday, the state saw the highest ever single-day spike of 30,596 new Covid-19 disease cases, according to the health department’s bulletin. Lucknow added the highest cases on Sunday at 5,551 followed by Varanasi (2,011), Kanpur (1,839) and from Allahabad (1,711).