Covid-19 curbs to be relaxed in 55 UP districts from June 1, weekend curfew to continue

The Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday announced some relaxation in coronavirus disease (Covid-19) curbs in the state from June 1. An order by the state government said that economic activities will be allowed in zones (or districts) with less than 600 active cases from Tuesday.

The markets in these 55 districts can open from 7am to 7pm from Monday to Friday, according to the order signed by the chief secretary, which further said that there will be no relaxation in weekend curfew.

It said that no relaxation has been given in 20 districts, including state capital Lucknow, which continues to report a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases. The other districts where restrictions will continue are: Meerut, Saharanpur, Varanasi, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Muzaffarnagar, Bareilly, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Bulandshahr, Jhansi, Prayagraj, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sonbhadra, Jaunpur, Bagpat, Moradabad, Ghazipur, Bijnore and Deoria.

The 'corona curfew' was imposed in the state on April 30 and has since been extended a number of times. On May 22, the state government said that restrictions will continue till May 31 to check the spread of Covid-19. Like many other states, essential services, including medical, groceries, industries, e-commerce will continue to function.

The state government had said last week that Uttar Pradesh has seen a sharp decline in the number of active cases of Covid-19 in less than one month. From a peak of 3,10,783 on April 30, the number of active cases came down to 62,271 on Tuesday, the state government data showed.

It also said that recovery rate in India's most populous state has surpassed 95 per cent.