Omicron India: States Going Back To Night Curfews, More Curbs Likely To Follow

Ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays, as the number of Omicron COVID-19 cases grow, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday issued orders to initiate strict measures, including a statewide night curfew from December 25.

The coronavirus night curfew will be applicable from 11 pm to 5 am.

The number of people attending events like marriages has been limited to 200 and masks have been made mandatory for everyone on the streets or in the markets.

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Madhya Pradesh

In Madhya Pradesh, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced that night curfew will be brought back across the state from 11 pm to 5 am.

Citing the risk of Omicron in the state from those coming from outside, Chouhan said more measures will be taken if needed.

Delhi

In the national capital Delhi, the government had banned all gatherings to celebrate Christmas and New Year.

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), however, clarified that religious places will remain open on Christmas and New Year's Eve for celebrations and prayers subject to strict compliance of COVID-19-appropriate behaviour.

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Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said that Delhi is fully prepared to handle up to one lakh cases every day in the worst-case scenario.

¡°Everyone is extremely concerned about the Omicron variant. It is being reported to be a highly transmissible variant all over the world. The two major characteristics of this variant are that it is mild, with fewer hospitalisations and casualties. We have taken precautions in light of these considerations,¡± said Kejriwal.

Maharashtra

In Maharashtra, the government on Friday decided to impose fresh restrictions in the state to avoid crowding in view of the rising cases.

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Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray held talks with the members of the state COVID-19 task force. They discussed the ways to avoid crowding during the Christmas and New Year celebrations, weddings and parties at hotels and restaurants.

Karnataka

In Karnataka, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said large gatherings on Christmas and New Year will be banned this year.

"The usual large gatherings at M.G.Road, Brigade Road and surrounding areas in Bengaluru has been banned this time. Large gatherings are also banned at any place across the state for new year celebrations," he stated.

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As for as clubs, pubs are concerned, DJ music, special events are not allowed. The entry has been restricted to 50 per cent capacity. Large-scale parties are also not allowed anywhere in the state.

Goa

In Goa, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has appealed to the tourism industry to abide by all the coronavirus-related protocols, especially during the festive season.

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