Covid-19: After Delhi, night curfews in Noida, Ghaziabad

The order comes a day after Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath held a videoconference with officials of 13 high Covid-19 caseload districts and two days after the Delhi government imposed similar restrictions.

District administrations in Noida and Ghaziabad on Thursday put in place curfews between 10pm and 5am till April 17 to arrest a surge in Covid-19 cases in the two Uttar Pradesh districts. All government and private educational institutions have also been barred from holding in-person classes till April 17.

In separate orders, the two administrations said the movement of essential goods or commodities and medical and other essential services will be exempt from the restrictions. (Sunil Ghosh/HT file photo)

In separate orders, the two administrations said the movement of essential goods or commodities and medical and other essential services will be exempt from the restrictions.

The order comes a day after Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath held a videoconference with officials of 13 high Covid-19 caseload districts and two days after the Delhi government imposed similar restrictions.

Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate Suhas LY clarified that all examinations, including practicals, will be held according to the schedule and are exempt from the school closure order.

“We will aggressively enforce rules regarding wearing of masks and social distancing at public places and workplaces,” he said.

Ghaziabad DM Ajay Shankar Pandey said, “We will review the situation after April 17. With restrictions in place, we hope the spread of the infection will be checked.”

Central and state government officials and health care staff will be exempt from the night restrictions. Pregnant women and those in need of medical help too are not covered under the restrictions, the orders by the two administrations said.

Suhas LY said those travelling towards and from the airports, railway stations and bus terminals will have to produce a copy of their ticket. “Any violation of this order will lead to action under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, 2005,” he said.

According to the state health bulletin, the Covid-19 tally in Gautam Budh Nagar district mounted to 26,821 on Thursday, as 134 more people tested positive for the infection, the highest single-day rise this year.

Ghaziabad, meanwhile, added 108 cases on Thursday.

Experts said the restrictions will have a “limited impact” because the city has no major spots for night life and that movement is usually limited after 10pm in any case.

“It acts as a deterrent against night life, parties, restaurants and even late-night functions. When people know that there are restrictions, they will automatically prefer not to move out. However, officials should also consider closing markets early. Further, since they have started marking containment zones, there should be restriction on movement of people. Otherwise, there will be no check on the spread of the infection,” said Dr Lalit Kant, the former epidemiology and communicable diseases head at the Indian Council for Medical Research.

On April 3, the state government rolled out directions for surveillance in containment zones.

“Instead of night restrictions, authorities should focus on enforcement of Covid protocol in markets, weekly markets and other public places besides the containment zones... There is also a need to increase vaccination coverage,” said Dr Ashish Agarwal, president of the Ghaziabad wing of the Indian Medical Association.