India Covid-19 second wave: States that have announced night curfews, weekend lockdowns

Maharashtra

Maharashtra, which has the country’s highest active coronavirus cases, underwent a complete weekend lockdown from 8 pm on Friday. On April 4, the state government had announced a number of restrictions to control the spread of infection, including daily night curfews from 8 pm to 7 am and a complete lockdown on weekends beginning 8 pm Fridays and continued until 7 am Mondays.

All types of shops, malls and markets, except those selling groceries, medicines and vegetables, will remain closed until April 30. This means closure of all cinemas, multiplexes, theatres, video parlours, clubs, swimming pools, sports complexes, auditoriums, water parks, salons, beauty parlours and spas.

Meanwhile, private vaccination centers will remain closed in Mumbai for until Monday amid complaints of vaccine shortage in the state. However, government vaccination centers would remain open in the city.

In view of the fast rising cases, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said the state needs two-three-week lockdown with tough restrictions to ramp up its health infrastructure.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will also hold an all-party meeting on Saturday to build consensus on the steps needed to break the chain of transmission. A complete lockdown will also be discussed at the meeting.

Chhattisgarh

The Chhattisgarh government has announced a total lockdown in eight districts amid a rise in Covid-19 cases, according to All India Radio news. From Saturday evening, three districts — Rajnandgaon, Bemetra and Balod – will undergo a complete lockdown. The state has already imposed a lockdown in capital Raipur and neighbouring Durg district. Jashpur, Koriya and Balodabazar will also undergo a complete lockdown from Sunday.

The lockdown in Raipur started from April 9 and will last till April 19. During the lockdown period, the border of the district were completely sealed and all shops, including those selling liquor, and commercial establishments were closed except medical stores.

Delhi

Delhi government has imposed night curfew, from 10 pm to 5 am, till April 30 in the wake of rising Covid-19 cases in the national capital.

Healthcare workers and government officials on essential and emergency duties will be exempt, as will those traveling to and from airports, railway stations and interstate bus terminals. Those traveling inter-state by private vehicles will not be exempt, except in the case of a medical emergency.

Despite seeing a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has ruled out the possibility of another round of stringent lockdown, announcing that some sector-specific restrictions are in the offing.

Besides Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad administrations have also announced a night curfew from 10 pm to 5 am till April 17th.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ruled out the possibility of another round of stringent lockdown to combat the recent surge in Covid-19 cases in the city, announcing that some sector-specific restrictions are in the offing.

Madhya Pradesh

The Madhya Pradesh government has imposed lockdown in Barwani, Rajgad, Vidisha (urban and rural) along with Indore city, Rau Nagar, Mahu Nagar and city areas of Shajapur, Ujjain until 6 am on April 19. The state has also announced a 10 day lockdown in Balaghat, Narsinghpur, Seoni and Jabalpur from April 12-22.

Besides this, the government has also issued orders for a night curfew every day, from 10 pm to 6 am, across all urban areas. However, the weekend curfew will start at 6 pm on Friday and be in force till 6 am on Monday.

Apart from a night curfew in the urban centers, the government also ordered an eight-day complete lockdown in Chhindwara district, across its urban and rural areas. The lockdown will come into effect at 8 pm on April 8 and will continue till 6 am on April 16.

Punjab

Punjab government has imposed a statewide night curfew from 9 pm to 5 am. Initially, the state government had imposed the curfew in only 12 districts but later imposed it statewide as the virus cases saw a rise.

In Chandigarh, curfew timings are 10.30 pm to 5 am. Passengers going to or returning from the airport or railway station or ISBT shall be exempted during the night curfew hours, as ordered by the city’s deputy commissioner.

Gujarat

The Gujarat government has announced a night curfew in 20 cities and towns from 8 pm to 6 am till April 30. The state government took the action after the Gujarat High Court proposed imposing a lockdown for three to four days to control the spread of the virus.

During lockdown, political and social gathering will remain suspended. The government has also reduced the number of guests who can attend a marriage ceremony to 100 now from 200.

Odisha

In Odisha, a night curfew is in place since April 5 in 10 districts. The state government has decided on the imposition of night curfew in the districts of Sundergarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Bolangir, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Nawarangpur, Koraput and Malkangiri.

All shops, commercial establishments, offices, institutions and movement of individuals will remain closed/prohibited between 10 pm to 5 am, except for essential activities.

Karnataka

The Karnataka government has announced a night curfew for 10 days beginning April 10 in several parts of the state. “Night curfew from 10 pm to 5 am every day from April 10 to April 20 will be imposed in Bengaluru, Mysore, Mangalore, Kalaburagi, Bidar, Tumkur and Udupi-Manipal,” Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said. “We will see its effectiveness and decide on extending it. Essential services will function. This is on a trial basis,” he added.

Jammu and Kashmir

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has decided to impose a night curfew from April 10 in urban areas of eight districts that have seen a spike in cases. These districts are Jammu, Udhampur, Kathua, Srinagar, Baramulla, Budgam, Anantnag and Kupwara.

“Directed the divisional administration to impose Corona curfew from 10 pm to 6 am in urban areas of eight districts affected by the recent #COVID spike,” Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha tweeted.

Rajasthan

Rajasthan government has imposed a night curfew until April 19. The curfew will remain in force from 8 pm to 6 am. School for classes 1 to 9 has been suspended till April 17. Dining at restaurants, hotels, going to multiplexes and gymnasiums have also been banned.