2021 has now taken a 360-degree turn and we are back to square one, quite possibly where we were last year or even at a worse position. No one in the country expected the second wave of COVID-19 to hit this hard and this bad. India is back to reporting more than two lakh cases on a regular basis and the healthcare system is once again on its knees. Right now, the nationwide lockdown has yet not become the reality of the nation but partial lockdowns and night curfews are being imposed by different states and Union Territories to curb the spread of infections.
With the increase in the rising number of COVID cases in the country, several states have decided to bring back their strict COVID-19 restrictions. With the imposition of restrictions, it certainly seems that 2020 is back again, but this time with a lot more strength and troubles. The déjà vu this time is for sure real. As COVID-19 is surging a number of states and UTs have imposed lockdown-like measures to contain the virus.
Complete curfew in some/all districts:
Witnessing a sharp rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh imposed strict lockdowns in many districts in order to curb the deadly virus. Noticing the immensely affected condition of the state, Delhi is also following the suit and has imposed a six-day lockdown in order to slow down the growth of the virus.
- Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray declared a 15-days curfew in the state that started from April 14. The Janta Curfew will remain in effect till 7 am on May 1. Also, Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) will be imposed throughout the state to prevent gatherings.
- Madhya Pradesh government initially announced weekend lockdowns, but seeing the increase in COVID cases, the state government imposed strict restrictions in the state. The government has issued an order stating that restrictions are currently imposed to tackle the surge in COVID cases as part of “corona curfew” and should not be termed as “lockdown”.
The order highlighted that essential services, including industries, medical establishments, construction activities, chemist shops, grocery outlets, etc, will remain in operation during corona curfew. Also, passengers arriving from Maharashtra to Indore or Bhopal have to carry a negative RT-PCR report not earlier than 48 hours.
- In view of rising COVID-19 cases, the Chhattisgarh government imposed a lockdown in Sukma and Durg till April 19. But since the positive cases exploded in the state, the Chhattisgarh government now has extended the lockdown up to April 26 in four super spreading cities of the state – Raipur, Jashpur, Korba, and Raigarh.
- Delhi too has come under a six-day lockdown as the virus is spreading super-fast in the city. The weekend curfew has been extended to a week-long curfew as Delhi is projecting the most number of cases in the country.
Night curfew:
States like Gujrat, Haryana Uttarakhand, Punjab, Odisha and Karnataka however have imposed no lockdown or weekend curfew, but have imposed night curfew. Gujrat has imposed a night curfew in around 20 cities and has made a negative RT-PCR report mandatory for those arriving in the state. While Punjab and Haryana imposed a night curfew with all schools, colleges, coaching institutions, libraries and training institutes have been closed till April 30.
On the other hand, Uttarakhand during the ongoing Kumbh Mela has imposed a night curfew across the state from 10.30 pm till 5 am. The state has also put a limit on the gathering of 200 people, simultaneously limiting the operation of bus and auto-rickshaws to a 50 percent seating capacity. Apart from this, the Jammu and Kashmir administration also imposed a night curfew in eight districts, including Jammu, Udhampur, Kathua, Srinagar, Baramulla, Budgam, Anantnag, and Kupwara.
Weekend curfew:
The state government of Rajasthan has announced a weekend curfew in the state from 6 pm April 16 (Friday) till 5 am on April 19 (Monday). While the state government of Uttar Pradesh on the other hand has enforced a state-wide complete lockdown on every Sunday till May 15.