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Yogi asks police not to allow crowds to gather as UP govt eases more Covid-19 curbs
From Monday, opening of markets, malls and eateries with 50% capacity outside containment zones and full attendance in government offices will be allowed in UP
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said the police should step up patrolling and not let crowds gather anywhere as there will be greater relaxation in the Covid-19 curbs from Monday. The relaxation will be in force from 7am to 9pm instead of 7am to 7pm on weekdays (Mondays to Fridays). Weekend closure will continue to be observed on Saturdays and Sundays.
From Monday, various activities, including the opening of markets outside the containment zones, full attendance in government offices, opening of eateries with 50 per cent capacity and malls with strict Covid protocols will be allowed. A maximum of 50 people will be allowed at weddings and only 50 people will be allowed in a religious place at a time, depending on the size of the premises.
The chief minister also said a state-level expert committee on Covid-19 had prepared a study report on the possible third wave of the pandemic.
All districts should make the necessary preparations in view of the analysis and recommendations of the experts, he said.
He also said awareness should be raised to make people stick to Covid appropriate behaviour to curtail the spread of the pandemic.
“The state with a population of 25 crore could control the pandemic because of better teamwork. Now, most of the districts are not reporting any fresh Covid cases. In anticipation of the third wave of the pandemic, all necessary safety arrangements should be made in advance,” Yogi Adityanath said.
He said paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) and neonatal ICUs were being set up in all the medical colleges in the state as part of the preparedness for the possible third wave.
The total number of Covid hospital beds in the state was further increased by 100 in the last couple of days despite a decline in cases, he said.
“Continue increasing the number of beds. All the medical colleges must have 100 beds more than their current number,” he said to officials at the meeting.
The chief minister said 74 of the 75 districts in UP had less than 200 active Covid-19 cases while 55 districts had less than ten active cases. The positivity rate in the state on Saturday was 0.2%, he said.
“UP has proved that be it the Covid-19 pandemic or any other challenge, if efforts are done with the spirit of collective endeavour and responsibly, then it doesn’t take time to achieve positive results,” Yogi said.
In the past 24 hours, 2.63 lakh samples were tested for Covid-19 and 251 were positive. A total of 561 patients recovered during the same period. At present, the state has 4569 active Covid cases.
“The recovery rate is 98.4% now”, he said.
Once the central government’s scheme of supplying free vaccines to the states for vaccinating the 18+ age group rolls out from Monday, the state’s vaccination process will further speed up, he said.
“So far, the state has administered a total of 2.56 crore doses of the (Covid-19) vaccine. Among them, 40.23 lakh people in the state got both their doses while 1.47 lakh doses were administered to the youth,” he said.
