Uttar Pradesh ends weekend curfew as Covid-19 cases fall

Earlier this week, the state government had lifted the Saturday curfew and ordered shops and business establishments to remain closed only on Sundays from August 14

The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday withdrew the weekend curfew on Sunday owing to a fall in the daily tally of coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in the state. The state reported 29 cases of coronavirus on Thursday, taking the number of active cases to 407. Two fatalities were also reported in the last 24 hours.

Shutting shops on Saturday and Sundays meant residents of satellite cities like Noida were getting done with their shopping from Delhi. (Photo by Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times)

Earlier this week, the state government had lifted the Saturday curfew and ordered shops and business establishments to remain closed only on Sundays from August 14. The government had issued orders in July asking shops and businesses to remain open from 6am to 10pm on weekdays and continue the weekend closure to keep the pandemic under control.

The first set of weekend relaxations had been implemented after chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to consider a partial easing of norms that were imposed earlier this year to contain the spread of the virus. Metro services between Noida and Greater Noida (known as Aqua line) have also resumed.

Traders associations in the state had been seeking relaxation of weekend curfew since July, as shutting shops on Saturday and Sundays meant residents of satellite cities like Noida were getting done with their shopping from Delhi. “Markets collect the majority of revenue during weekends, and they will continue to suffer losses as long as the weekend curbs are in place. This not only harms the business, but the revenue also goes to Delhi instead of Uttar Pradesh,” Sushil Kumar Jain, president of Sector 18 Market Association and convener of Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) - Delhi-NCR, had told Hindustan Times.

With an improvement in the pandemic scenario, the UP government has eased a number of restrictions in a graded manner, including the resumption of physical classes for high school students. Students of classes nine to 12 have started attending school in the state from August 16, while for grades six to eight, schools will reopen on August 23 and for classes one to five on September 1. However, attendance in schools is not compulsory for students.