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Covid-19: UP extends weekend curfew by 24 hours, to be in effect till 7am on Tuesday
According to the new orders, the curfew will now begin from 8pm on April 30 and would be in effect till 7am on May 4. The decision was announced after a meeting between chief minister Yogi Adityanath and top officials of the state government.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday announced an extension to the existing weekend curfew in the state imposed to tackle the rising numbers of coronavirus disease cases. The curfew which was earlier imposed from 8pm on Friday till 7am on Monday has now been extended until 7am on Tuesday, an official from the state government said. The official also hinted that the move is here to stay for the next few weeks.
According to the new orders, the curfew will now begin from 8pm on April 30 and would be in effect till 7am on May 4. The decision was announced after a meeting between chief minister Yogi Adityanath and top officials of the state government.
However, the state government has also said that all essential activities, including industrial activities, will continue as usual and the Covid-19 vaccination drive will also not be affected by the curfew.
Uttar Pradesh has been reporting a significantly high number of cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) since the second wave of the pandemic. Earlier on Wednesday, as many as 29,824 new Covid-19 cases and 266 more deaths were reported in the state which pushed the cases tally to 1,182,848 cases and death toll to 11,493, news agency PTI reported.
The active caseload in the state currently stands at 300,041 cases, according to the latest data of the Union health ministry. It is the third-highest in the country only after Maharashtra and Karnataka. The state was also flagged by the ministry as one among 10 states that added 72% new cases and among another set of 10 states that added almost 79% to the new deaths on Wednesday.
On April 20, the UP government imposed a curfew in the state on top of an existing night curfew in all districts with more than 500 active cases of the disease. Chief minister Adityanath announced, “We are committed to safeguarding the life and livelihood of every citizen. We have decided to implement the ‘Corona Curfew’ strictly on the basis of the current circumstances so that no livelihood crisis due to the lockdown. Your cooperation is expected,” in a tweet in Hindi.
The move followed as the Supreme Court directed the state government to submit before the Allahabad high court, the measures taken to curb the transmission of the disease.
