Night curfews, lockdown amid rising Covid-19 cases: Here's what states are doing

State governments, including those in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, have tightened existing restrictions in major cities.

Several states and Union territories have imposed restrictions, including full lockdown and night curfew, as the numbers of cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) are surging across the country. State governments, including those in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, have tightened existing restrictions in major cities of several states.

On Sunday, India recorded 43,846 coronavirus disease cases in a day, the highest single-day rise so far this year, taking the nationwide tally to 11,599,130. (PTI Photo)

On Sunday, India recorded 43,846 coronavirus disease cases in a day, the highest single-day rise so far this year, taking the nationwide tally to 11,599,130. The daily rise in infections was the highest recorded in 115 days after 44,489 cases were recorded in a span of 24 hours on November 26 last year. The active caseload has gone up to 309,087 and the recovery rate has further dropped to 95.96 per cent. The death toll increased to 159,755 with 197 daily fatalities on Sunday, the highest in 97 days.

Here are the restrictions put in place by several states:

Maharashtra: The government in the worst-hit Indian state has extended the new coronavirus guidelines till March 31. Night curfew has been announced in at least 10 districts including Aurangabad, Amravati, Yavatmal, Jalna and Parbhani. The state government has also ordered that theatres and auditoriums will run at 50 per cent capacity till March 31. Private sector offices have also been asked to operate with 50 per cent staff capacity and heads of government and semi-government offices, have been empowered to determine the number of employees to be called in.

Punjab: The Punjab government has further tightened the guidelines in the 11 districts most affected by the pandemic. All educational institutions, except medical colleges, have been closed in these 11 districts till March 31. Examinations will also be postponed during this period. Night curfew has been imposed from 9pm to 5am in Mohali, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ropar, Moga, SBS Nagar and Fatehgarh Sahib.

Gujarat: The Gujarat government will not allow any public function to be held on Holi due to increasing Covid-19 cases. Deputy chief minister Nitin Patel said that people will not be allowed to put colour on each other. Patel hoped that the people of Gujarat would follow the rules and not play Holi. However, the tradition of Holika Dahan will be allowed with a limited number of people.

Madhya Pradesh: The Madhya Pradesh government has announced a complete lockdown every Sunday for the three most affected districts of Indore, Bhopal and Jabalpur. The Sunday lockdown has been imposed after seven months. Shops and other business establishments have been asked to remain closed in Gwalior, Ujjain Ratlam, Chhindwara, Burhanpur, Betul and Khargone from 10am to 6pm from last Wednesday. This will continue till further orders. School for Classes 1 to 8 will remain closed in Madhya Pradesh amid a spurt in Covid-19 cases.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the state government is going to introduce Sankalp Abhiyan from March 23 to ensure the use of mask and social distancing. “On this day, a siren will be blown in every district at 11am and 7pm and people will be requested to stop for two minutes to take a pledge of using masks and maintaining social distance,” said Chouhan.

Rajasthan: The Rajasthan government has decided to impose a night curfew in eight cities from Monday and also made it mandatory for people visiting the state to carry a Covid-19 negative test report. Officials said the night curfew will be imposed in Ajmer, Bhilwara, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Udaipur, Sagwada (Dungarpur) and Kushalgarh (Banswara) from 11pm to 5am. Travellers coming to Rajasthan from other states will have to carry RT-PCR negative reports, not older than 72 hours, from March 25. If the RT-PCR test report of travellers is not negative, they would have to remain in quarantine for 15 days, officials said. Passengers will be screened at airports, bus stations and railway stations.

Markets will remain closed in all the urban bodies of the state from March 22 after 10pm. Wherever more than five people are found to be infected, the area or apartment shall be declared a prohibited area. Rules in the prohibited area shall be strictly complied with under the supervision of the beat constable.

Goa: The Goa government will take strict action against restaurants, hotels or entertainment areas that do not follow the rules related to Covid-19. A minister of the state government said that to prevent the spread of the virus, it is extremely important for everyone to wear masks and maintain social distance. He said that if people find any restaurant, hotel, institute in violation of the rules, then they can inform the government about it through e-mail. After this, necessary action will be initiated by the government.

Chhattisgarh: Schools, colleges and Anganwadi centres have been closed in Chhattisgarh from Sunday, state minister Ravindra Choubey said. Chief minister Bhupendra Baghel chaired a meeting of his cabinet ministers and senior officials on Sunday to ensure that all health protocols related to coronavirus are in place to check the spread of the virus ahead of the Holi festival. "It has been decided by the state government that in view of the spike in Covid-19 cases, all schools will remain closed till further orders. Except for Class 10 and 12 board exams, exams of all other classes will not take place and all students will be given general promotions," Baghel tweeted.

Andaman and Nicobar: The administration of the Union territory of Andaman and Nicobar has made the negative Covid-19 report mandatory for visiting tourists. Deputy director (health) and nodal officer for Covid-19, Dr Avijit Roy, said that residents will also have to submit the negative test report to move from their island to another.