India recorded over a lakh new COVID-19 cases in a single day for the first time in seven months, the health ministry informed on Friday. This comes barely a week after the country crossed the 10,000 mark.
Out of these, a total of 3,007 are confirmed omicron cases, spread across 27 states and UTs.
As the new coronavirus variant, known to be highly transmissible, continues to hold the country in its tight grip, various states have responded by reimposing restrictions in the form of weekend and night curfews. Here’s a list of a few of them:
1. Delhi
A weekend curfew, between 10pm on Friday and 5am on Monday, was put in place in the national capital on January 4. “There shall be “Weekend Curfew” on movement of individuals in NCT of Delhi from 10 PM of Friday till 5 AM of subsequent Monday,” the DDMA order read.
Emergency services, personnel involved in such services, pregnant women and patients for availing medical services, those going for Covid test, vaccination, TV and print media, students appearing for exams, are among those exempted.
Night curfew and measures like limiting the office staff and restricting gatherings of people are already in place.
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2. Karnataka
The Karnataka government on Tuesday had decided to impose curfew on weekends and restrict public gatherings to fight the third wave of COVID-19, till January 19. It also decided to continue the night curfew for two more weeks, and has prohibited all rallies, dharnas, protests, among others.
Pubs, clubs, restaurants, bars, hotels, cinema halls,, multiplexes, theatres, and auditoriums in the state will operate with a 50% seating capacity.
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Engineering colleges in Bengaluru have now been permitted to hold offline classes. Advocates, offices, and law firms can work at 50% capacity, reported The Indian Express.
3. Haryana
Authorities have ordered the closure of cinema halls, multiplexes and sports complexes in eleven districts till January 12.
The restrictions were imposed in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ambala, Panchkula, Sonipat, Karnal, Panipat, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, Rohtak and Jhajjar.
Malls and markets will be allowed to open till 6 pm. Offices have been advised to work at 50 per cent capacity while the rest work from home. Bars and restaurants have also been allowed to function at half their seating capacity.
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All sports complexes, swimming pools and stadia shall remain closed except when being used for training of sportspersons for participation in national and international sports events.
Government and private offices, except for emergency/essential services have been advised to function with 50 per cent staff attendance.
4. Uttar Pradesh
Night curfew in the state will be in place from 10pm to 6am. The new guidelines state that a maximum of 100 people will be allowed at any event conducted in a closed space, while 50 percent of total capacity will be allowed in open spaces. The schools for classes 1 to 10 have been closed till January 14.
5. Tamil Nadu
On Wednesday, the Tamil Nadu government announced a complete lockdown every Sunday in view of the surge in new COVID-19 infections and the proliferation of the highly transmissible omicron variant. The government has also announced a night curfew between 10pm and 5am, which will become effective from Thursday, January 6.
The Sunday lockdown, meanwhile, will begin from January 9 and the government has ordered all non-essential services to close shop. However, restaurants and food delivery services will be allowed to operate between 7am and 10pm, the government said.
The government has also imposed other restrictions beyond the curfew and the Sunday lockdown, and has ordered the closure of creches, play schools, and coaching centres to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Classes have been suspended for kindergarten, while classes 1 to 9 will have online classes. Only classes 10 and 12 will be allowed to have physical classes, the government said.
6. West Bengal
A 10 pm – 5 am night curfew has been ordered, following in the footsteps of Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Only essential and emergency services can operate in this time.
Direct flights from the United Kingdom, which has reported a staggering number of COVID-19 cases over the past few weeks, including those of the more infectious Omicron strain, have been stopped as well.
Closing of schools and colleges, and capping attendance at private and government offices at 50% have also been reimposed.
7. Punjab
A night curfew has been put in place in Punjab from 10 pm to 5 am. Bars, cinemas halls, multiplexes, malls, restaurants, spas, museums and zoos may operate at 50% capacity provided all staff members are fully vaccinated, a recent order by the state government has stated.
Educational institutions, including schools, colleges and universities, shall remain shut for offline classes and virtual classes will continue. Medical and nursing colleges arae permitted to function normally. Sports complexes, swimming pools and stadiums have been closed down for the public except for athletes training for national and international competitions.
8. Assam
The Assam government announced fresh restrictions in the state starting January 8, with the night curfew extended by an hour in light of the rising omicron cases. The night curfew, which was previously in place from 11 pm to 6 am, will now start from 10 pm.
Only fully vaccinated people will be allowed in public places, while hotels, restaurants, cinema halls and malls will be fined Rs 25,000 for allowing entry of those who are not fully vaccinated.
