Uttar Pradesh extends night curfew by two hours as COVID-19 rise, schools shut till 14 Jan

As India has been reporting a spike in daily COVID-19 cases, several states are setting new rules to curb the virus. The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has decided to shut all schools upto Class 10 till 14 January and extend the night curfew timings.

In a late-night discussion on Tuesday, Adityanath with a group of top officials decided to extend the night curfew timings in the state by two hours. Previously, the night curfew was from 11:00 pm to 5:00 am, now, it is from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am. The decision was taken after the number of daily coronavirus infections crossed the 3,000-mark yesterday.

As per the state's COVID guidelines, the night curfew imposed on 25 December will remain effective till 14 January. “Public places like gyms, spas, cinema halls, banquet halls, restaurants, etc should be operated with 50 percent capacity in districts where the minimum number of active cases exceeds 1,000,” informed Adityanath at the review meeting.

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An additional set of restrictions will also be imposed in districts where the number of active cases crosses 1,000, notified a government spokesperson. Meanwhile, the state administration is conducting vaccination drives for children from 15-18 years.

No more than 100 people will be allowed (in a closed hall or room) at any event including a wedding from 6 January. If the event is taking place in an open area, only 50 percent of the capacity will be permitted. The use of masks and sanitisers has also been made compulsory.

The state government will be activating all integrated command and control centres (ICCC) and monitoring committees. For the unversed, the monitoring committees will function under gram pradhans that will work in rural areas.