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RBI governor says surging cases a concern, but lockdown unlikely
"The renewed surge in Covid-19 cases in the country matter of concern, but we have additional insurances this time to tackle the afflictions," he said at the India Economic Conclave (IEC) 2021 at Delhi.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Shaktikanta Das said on Wednesday that while the resurgence of coronavirus infections in the country was a matter of concern, the chances of there being a lockdown like the one last year was unlikely.
"The renewed surge in Covid-19 cases in the country matter of concern, but we have additional insurances this time to tackle the afflictions," he said at the India Economic Conclave (IEC) 2021 at Delhi. "At this point in time, one does not foresee the kind of lockdown experienced last year."
This comes as state governments like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Punjab are imposing curbs to check the spread of the virus in their respective states.
Maharashtra is the state that has been recording the highest number of coronavirus infections in the country for quite a while now and the state government has been forced to impose stringent restrictions in cities like Nagpur and Pune. Nagpur is currently under lockdown until March 31 while Pune has night curfew measures in place.
Districts like Nashik, Thane, Aurangabad, Beed and Jalgaon are also among the ones where restrictions were in place.
In Punjab, all educational institutions, except medical and nursing colleges have been ordered shut till March 31. Weddings, funerals and cremations with up to 20 persons were allowed. Restriction of 50% capacity will be there in cinema halls and not more than 100 persons in a mall at any time.
In Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Ratlam, Betul, Chhindwara and Khargone will be under lockdown on Sundays. Public gatherings for all upcoming festivals have also been banned in the state.
In Gujarat, it was announced that the night curfew would be extended by two hours in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot, from 10pm to 6am to tackle the surge in Covid-19 cases. The night curfew was extended till March 31.
In Rajasthan, the government announced night curfew in Ajmer, Bhilwara, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Udaipur, Sagwada and Kushalgarh from March 22. The curfew will be imposed from 11pm to 5am. Urban markets will remain shut after 10pm.
India, on Thursday, recorded 53,476 new coronavirus infections, taking the country's tally to 11,787,534. The death toll after 251 fresh fatalities stands at 160692.
