Bhubaneswar: Amid a spike in Omicron cases, tougher restrictions and night curfew are back in several states. The highly-transmissible variant of COVID-19 has spread to 19 states and union territories till Sunday. India’s affected tally now stands at 435.
Odisha
Night curfew has been in force from 10 pm to 5 am in all urban areas of the state, which has so far seen eight cases of Omicron, since the past few months. The state government, however, has banned all celebrations other than marriage. There will be no social gatherings, rallies or other cultural programmes between December 31 and January 2022. No community feasts are allowed during this time. Funeral rites will be allowed due to the COVID protocol.
Delhi
The Delhi government has announced night curfew from December 27 after a 16 per cent jump in fresh COVID cases. The national capital reported 290 fresh cases of COVID and one death on Sunday. The night curfew will be effective from 10 pm to 5 am.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra, which leads the tally with 108 Omicron infections, has banned gatherings of more than 5 individuals at public places. Section 144 will be in force till December 31 and night curfew from 9 pm to 6 am.
Haryana
Gatherings of more than 200 people are prohibited in this state and those unvaccinated are not allowed to visit public places like malls, cinema halls and restaurants. Night curfew will be imposed here from 11 pm to 5 am from January 1, 2022.
Gujarat
The duration of night curfew timing has been extended by two hours in 8 cities – Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Gandhi Nagar, and Junagadh. The night curfew will be in place from 11 pm to 5 am, instead of 1 am to 5 am. Gujarat has so far reported 43 cases of Omicron.
Uttar Pradesh
While night curfew is being imposed from 11 pm to 5 am, the government has put restrictions on weddings with participation limited to 200 people, intensified police patrolling to ensure compliance with COVID-appropriate behaviour. Vigilance at airports, bus stations and railway terminals has been upgraded. Additional implementation of Section 144 of the CrPC will continue in Noida and Lucknow till December 31, 2021.
Karnataka
The state, which has so far reported 31 Omicron cases, has decided to impose 7 hour night curfew (10 pm to 5 am) for ten days from December 28, and 50 per cent occupancy rule. Section 144 will also be imposed in the state from December 28. New Year celebrations at pubs, restaurants and hotels are banned.
Madhya Pradesh:
Night curfew is in force from 11 pm to 5 am since December 23 night in this state. Eight COVID-positive people were confirmed to have contracted the Omicron strain in MP, six of whom have recovered.
Also Read: Omicron Spreads Further In India As 2 More States Report Cases Of New Variant
