Gujarat on Monday extended the night curfew in 8 cities of the state till December 31 amid the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, news agency ANI reported.
The night curfew from 1am to 5am will continue to be in force in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Gandhinagar and Junagadh till the end of the year.
The night curfew was imposed in these cities on November 1 and the duration was reduced by two hours amid Diwali and Chhath Puja festivities and also due to a fall in the number of Covid-19 cases.
The government then extended the curfew for 10 more days, from December 1 to December 10. During the night curfew, restaurants can remain open till midnight with 75 per cent occupancy. The government also permitted home delivery and take-away services till midnight.
The government urged citizens to ensure that the Covid-19 preventative measures be strictly followed in a bid to stop the spread of Covid-19 as Omicron cases grow in the state.
Gujarat detected four new cases of Omicron on Sunday, taking the tally of those infected with the latest variant in the state to 11. Those who tested positive on Sunday have a history of foreign travel.
{{/usCountry}}Gujarat detected four new cases of Omicron on Sunday, taking the tally of those infected with the latest variant in the state to 11. Those who tested positive on Sunday have a history of foreign travel.
{{/usCountry}}India has detected as many as 161 cases of the Omicron variant till Monday in 12 states and Union territories. Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya told Parliament that the government is monitoring the situation daily and speaking with experts.
“The government has taken steps to deal with the situation if the virus spreads. With our experience during the first and second waves, to ensure that we don't face problems if variant spreads, we have arranged a buffer stock of important medicines,” Mandaviya said.