UP imposes another Covid-19 curb on Sunday, ₹1,000 fine for not wearing masks

Uttar Pradesh is among the 12 states and Union territories in the country which is witnessing the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

In yet another attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday ordered all markets in rural and urban areas to observe a weekly closure on Sunday. Only emergency services, cleanliness and sanitisation drives will be carried out in the state on Sunday, Adityanath said during a virtual meeting with divisional commissioners, district magistrates, chief medical officers and officers of Team-11. Adityanath told officers to ensure that people wear masks and said anyone flouting the rule should be fined ₹1000 for the first offence and that the fine would be 10 times for repeat offenders.

The Uttar Pradesh government has already clamped additional Covid-19 curbs in the worst-affected districts of the state, including night curfew and closing schools. (Deepak Gupta/HT Photo)

Uttar Pradesh is among the 12 states and Union territories in the country which is witnessing the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The state has recorded 22,439 cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and 104 new deaths so far, according to official data. The Uttar Pradesh government has already clamped additional curbs in the worst-affected districts of the state, including night curfew and closing schools.

The night curfew in 10 districts of the state, including Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Kanpur Nagar, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Meerut and Gorakhpur, will now be enforced from 8pm to 7am instead of 9pm to 6am, officials have said. And on Thursday the government shut all schools till May 15 and postponed state board exams. The new exam dates will be announced in the first week of May, said chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who tested positive for the virus earlier this week.

The government has also decided to increase beds and hospitals for Covid-19 patients. Amit Mohan Prasad, the additional chief secretary (health and family welfare) said another 45 government hospitals and private Medical Colleges have been notified as Covid hospitals in 30 districts. Adityanath also sent health officials to Ahmedabad in Gujarat to procure 25,000 Remdesivir injections. "CM has directed Health department for urgent procurement of 25,000 Remdesivir from Ahmedabad. For this, directors and officials of the department are going to Ahmedabad on a state plane today itself," a tweet by the chief minister's office said on Wednesday.

The Centre has prohibited the export of Remdesivir and Remdesivir Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients as several states reported their shortage. Remdesivir is considered a key antiviral drug in fight against Covid-19, especially among adults with severe complications.