As the daily caseload has breached the one lakh mark for the fifth consecutive day, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh on Friday joined the list of 15 States and Union Territories which have imposed restrictions in the form of night curfews , weekend lockdown and related curbs to combat the rapid transmission of coronavirus infections.
Karnataka has imposed corona curfews (night curfews) in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Kalaburagi, Bidar, Tumkuru, Udupi-Manipal till April 20 while Himachal Pradesh has closed all education institutions till April 20. Chhattisgarh’s Raipur has been in complete lockdown for 10 days. Bihar has closed all schools for a week. According to Pratyaya Amrit, Principal Secy (Disaster Management),Bihar. all shops are permitted to open till 7pm. Restaurants, Dhabas & hotels are exempted & can function on 25% seating capacity. Cinema hall, public transportation can function on 50% occupancy.
Maharashtra, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu Kashmir, Odisha, Rajasthan, Punjab, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are among those states and UTs which have been forced to reintroduce lockdown-like curbs. Through the week, weekend lockdowns have been imposed in parts of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, while Delhi, Punjab, major cities in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and urban areas of Rajasthan have announced night curfews. Almost all states have limited the capacity of restaurants and bars and banned public events.
In Karnataka, all the public religious services in Churches, Chapels & institutions of Bangalore’s Urban & Rural districts of Archdiocese will be suspended from 7th to 20th April. However, Churches/Chapels maybe kept open for private visits and adoration. Jammu and Kashmir has imposed night curfew in eight districts including Jammu, Kupwara, Anantnag and Srinagar till further order.
The UP Government has announced night curfew in Gautam Budh Nagar, and Ghaziabad from 10 pm to 5 am till April 17.
Madhya Pradesh Government imposed a night curfew in all “urban areas” of the state. Tamil Nadu government has barred all religious events and festival-gatherings have been barred till further orders.
The Chhattisgarh government has announced a lockdown in the Raipur district with effect from April 9 to 19. Fearing another lockdown, many migrant workers and their families have started proceeding to the hometowns.
The Chandigarh administration has announced a night curfew in the city from 10 pm to 5 am until further notice. Punjab has declared a series of restrictions including night curfew across the whole state -- up from the earlier 12 districts -- from 9 pm to 5 am. All political, social, cultural or sports gatherings have been banned for now. The MP Government also announced a lockdown in urban areas of all districts on every Sunday till further orders.
Delhi government has imposed a seven-hour night curfew from 10 pm to 5 am, till April 30 to curb the spread of the coronavirus cases in the national Capital. People will require a soft or hard copy of the e-pass to travel during curfew hours. The e-pass can be obtained from the Delhi government’s website www.delhi.gov.in. Punjab has extended night curfew across the state till April 30.
Maharashtra Government has imposed a night curfew from 8 pm to 7 am till April 30. There will also be a weekend lockodown all through the month. All shops, malls and markets, except those selling groceries, medicines and vegetables, will remain closed till April 30. Cinemas, multiplexes, theatres, video parlours, clubs, swimming pools, sports complexes, auditoriums, water parks, salons, beauty parlours and spas will remain shut during the period. Restaurants and bars will also remain closed except those that are part of a hotel but round-the-clock takeaways have been allowed.
In Gujarat, the Rupani Government has imposed a curfew from 8 pm to 6 am in 20 cities of the State. The restrictions were earlier in force from 9 pm to 6 am in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot cities in Gujarat. The cities where the curfew is being imposed are Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamangar, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Gandhinagar, Anand, Nadiad, Mehasana, Morbi, Dahod, Patan, Godhra, Bhuj, Gandhidham, Bharuch, Surendranagar and Amreli. The Government has also banned political or social gatherings till April 30 and has further reduced the number of guests at a marriage ceremony to 100. Government offices will remain closed every Saturday and Sunday in April.
Odisha has extended the night curfew from 10 PM to 5 am in 10 districts which include Sundergarh, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Balangir, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Malkangiri, Koraput and Nabarangpur.
Rajasthan has also imposed a night curfew and ordered the closure of multiplexes, gymnasiums till April 19. The night curfew will remain in force from 8 pm to 6 am. Dining at restaurants and hotels during the curfew hours has been prohibited but home delivery of food has been allowed.
Karnataka announced night curfew in six cities including capital Bengaluru and Mysuru even as Tamil Nadu banned on all religious gatherings from April 10 till April 30.