Covid-19: These states have renewed restrictions ahead of new year celebrations

The states have also listed out precautions to be taken to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

As alarm over the new coronavirus variant found in the UK and later in France, Spain, Sweden and Canada spreads, several states have renewed restrictions ahead of new year celebrations. The states have also listed out precautions to be taken to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

India recorded 279 fresh fatalities in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll due to the virus to 147,622. (Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times)

This comes in the backdrop of daily Covid-19 cases in the country falling to 18,732, and the total count reaching 10,187,850 on Sunday, according to the health ministry dashboard. The country recorded 279 fresh fatalities in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll due to the virus to 147,622.

Here are the states that have renewed restrictions ahead of new year celebrations:

Maharashtra: The state has announced a seven-hour night curfew across all cities and municipal corporation areas. The 11 pm to 6 am curfew is in place since December 22, and will continue till January 5, 2021. “This is not a normal new year which is why we cannot have normal celebrations. The curfew is being imposed to ensure that such violations are not repeated,” BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said.

Tamil Nadu: The state government issued an order banning new year celebrations on beaches, hotels, clubs and resorts on the night of December 31 and January 1, 2021. There will be no entry to the beaches on these days, and no midnight revelries would be allowed on beach roads, restaurants, hotels, clubs, resorts including beach resorts, and similar places on New Year’s eve and the following day, an official statement read.

Karnataka: After the night curfew order was withdrawn, Karnataka has put a ban on mass gatherings without social distancing in clubs, pubs, restaurants or in similar places from December 30 to January 2.

Rajasthan: Curfew will be imposed in Rajasthan from 8 pm on December 31 to 6 am on January 1. Markets in the state will also be closed at 7 pm on New Year’s eve, according to an order of the state home department. The order, which was passed after it was decided that ‘Diwali-like’ restrictions will be put in place, will be applicable in all municipal councils.

Uttarakhand: State capital Dehradun has banned public celebrations like parties at hotels, bars and restaurants on New Year’s Eve and New Year, adding that violation of the ban will be punishable under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the Epidemic Diseases Act and other relevant sections of the IPC.