As the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to spread across the country, several Indian states have taken to imposing a night curfew and several bans. Here are the details.
The number of daily COVID-19 cases is rising steadily across India, and several of them are being detected with the Omicron variant of the virus. While earlier, the Indian government had decided to defer the resumption of regular international flights to stop the virus from entering India, now, several states have taken to imposing a night curfew and bans in an attempt to stop the virus from spreading.
Now, several states and union territories across the country, including the capital city, Delhi, have introduced COVID-19 curbs in a move to tackle the spread of the virus, reports Mint.
States impost night curfew and curbs to tackle COVID-19
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While the Omicron variant is said to be milder, with symptoms similar to a cold or cough, it spreads faster, infecting a lot many people at once as compared to the Delta variant of the virus. Thus, internationally and in India, travel rules have been modified in an attempt to stop the virus from spreading, with a tighter watch on international and intra-national travel.
Several Indian states have imposed these curbs as well, reports India Today, including Karnataka, where the first Omicron case in India was detected, Maharashtra, the capital city of Delhi, and more. Check out the full list below:
Karnataka
The Karnataka government has imposed a night curfew from 10:00 pm to 5:00 am starting December 28, for the next 10 days. This is to put a curb on festive outings and night-outs and reduce the risk of infection due to COVID-19.
Delhi
The capital city has imposed a night curfew from 11:00 pm to 5:00 am starting Monday, December 27. Further, according to a report in India.com, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has extended banned social and cultural gatherings till December 31 midnight, extending its COVID-19 curbs, and has limited restaurants’ seating capacity to 50 per cent.
Haryana
On Friday, December 24, Haryana announced night curfew in the state from 11:00 pm to 5:00 am starting December 25. Along with this, restrictions have also been imposed on the number of people at indoor and outdoor events, placed at 200 and 300 respectively. The rules are in place till January 5 for now.
Maharashtra
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Considering the possible crowding during Christmas and New Year, Maharashtra, which is the worst-hit by this new variant, has imposed a curfew banning gatherings of more than five people between 9:00 pm and 6:00 am, reports India Today. Gyms, spas, theatres, cinema halls and hotels are allowed to function at 50 per cent capacity. According to Mint, Mumbai has banned New Year gatherings in the city.
Assam
The state imposed a night curfew from 11:30 pm to 6:00 am in the state to prevent the spread of the virus’ new variant, even though there’s no confirmed Omicron case there.
Gujarat
According to India Today, eight cities in Gujarat, namely Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara, Junagadh, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar and Gandhinagar, have a curfew from 11:00 pm to 5:00 am. Earlier, the curfew started at 1:00 am, which was elongated starting Christmas, i.e. December 25.
Madhya Pradesh
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Starting Thursday, December 23, Madhya Pradesh imposed a night curfew in the state from 11:00 pm to 5:00 am as a precautionary step to keep a check on COVID-19’s spread.
Uttar Pradesh
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced a night curfew starting December 25, from 11:00 pm to 5:00 am. The state has also implemented section 144 of the CrPC in Noida and Lucknow till December 31.
This story was first published on Travel + Leisure India