As Covid-19 cases rise in India, more states impose curbs

Through the week, weekend lockdowns have been imposed in parts of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, while Delhi, Punjab, major cities in Gujarat and urban areas of Rajasthan have announced night curfews.

Four more states on Thursday imposed restrictions on movement of people, activities, the nature of establishments that can be open (and the duration for which they can be), joining several other regions that have been forced to reintroduce lockdown-like curbs with the second wave of the coronavirus disease raging across the country.

Almost all states have limited the capacity of restaurants and bars and banned public events.(Rane Vidyadhar/HT Photo)

While Madhya Pradesh announced a weekend lockdown in all urban areas and a complete lockdown in five districts till April 17, Karnataka announced night curfew in six cities including capital Bengaluru and Mysuru even as Tamil Nadu banned on all religious gatherings from April 10 till April 30 and Uttar Pradesh government clamped night curfews in some districts of the state.

There were also reports of migrant workers in some states rushing to their home towns fearing a complete lockdown such as the one imposed by the central government last year, although the Prime Minister made it clear in a meeting with chief ministers on Thursday that a hard lockdown wasn’t even being considered.

Through the week, weekend lockdowns have been imposed in parts of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, while Delhi, Punjab, major cities in Gujarat and urban areas of Rajasthan have announced night curfews. Almost all states have limited the capacity of restaurants and bars and banned public events.

On Thursday, the Madhya Pradesh home department imposed a complete lockdown in five districts. In Chhindwara, the lockdown will come into effect from 6pm on Thursday and remain in force till 6am on April 16; in Betul, Khargone, Katni and Ratlam, the restrictions will be from 6pm to 6am between April 9 and April 17. Madhya Pradesh, which reported 4,324 new cases on Thursday, has already seen its case rate soar to levels far beyond the first wave.

In Tamil Nadu, two days after voting was held for the assembly elections, chief secretary Rajeev Ranjan banned all religious gatherings and public celebrations for festivals from April 10. The government also prohibited retail sales in Chennai’s Koyambedu vegetable market, which emerged as a Covid-19 hot spot during the first wave of infections last year.

To be sure, the restrictions in the state come after parties across the political spectrum flouted all Covid-safety protocols with impunity with local health departments, the Union health ministry, and the Election Commission all turning a blind eye.

The chief secretary also reduced the occupancy at eateries by half and directed that all business established be shut by 11pm. In addition to these social restrictions, the state has also ordered that no passengers will be allowed to travel standing in buses. There were 4,276 new cases in Tamil Nadu on Thursday, the highest single-day increase in the state in 173 days.

In Tripura, a day after chief minister Biplab Deb tested positive, the government closed all public gyms and recreation centres located in government buildings. Gatherings for sports events, government programmes in pubic halls and biometric attendance have also been suspended, officials said on Thursday.

The Uttar Pradesh government, meanwhile, has imposed a night curfew in Noida. On Thursday, the state set a an all-time record for the most number of new infections reported in the state in a single day – 8,474. The state, along with Odisha and Maharashtra has also restricted the number of people visiting government offices.

As reports of migrant workers leaving Gujarat’s most severely affected districts, Surat and Ahmedabad, emerged, the state government clarified that the numbers of those returning to their home states were not high. Gujarat is also among the worst-hit regions in the country, and like MP, the seven-day average of infections in the state has surpassed first wave records.

“There are no formal reports which suggest that a large number of migrants are leaving. However, we have asked district authorities to ensure that workers do not face any trouble,” news agency PTI quoted state additional chief secretary, labour and employment, Vipul Mittra as saying.

In Ahmedabad, a number of migrant workers, mostly hailing from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, have been rushing to the city’s Kalupur railway station, said Yogesh Mishra, member of the Zonal Rail Users Consultative Committee.

The migrants are apprehensive that they will be stranded or forced to travel on foot if a lockdown is imposed, Mishra said. The waiting list for reserved seats in trains has also increased, he added. The Gujarat high court earlier this week suggested the imposition of a lockdown after a steep rise in cases.

Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, however, has ruled out a lockdown in the state, adding that celebrations for the Assamese New Year, Rongali Bihu, next week will be held with precautions.

“Last year, we were not able to celebrate Bihu due to Covid-19. It affected lot of people associated with the celebrations. This year, we will hold celebrations and some SOPs (standard operating procedures) will be introduced,” he said.

Addressing mediapersons, Sarma said that the state will increase the number of tests to 100,000 daily from the about 50,000 tests on Thursday.

“We have decided to increase testing to around 100,000 daily in the next few days. Due to this we are likely to see a rise in number of positive cases,” he said.

On Wednesday, Assam recorded 195 new cases in the highest single day-spike this year belying Sarma’s recent claim that “there was no Covid” in the state in a TV interview where he was explaining why masks were redundant in Assam . Of these, 104 new cases were recorded in state capital Guwahati. At present there are 847 active Covid-19 cases in the state.