Yogi Adityanath imposes lockdown in Uttar Pradesh
In a notification released late on Thursday night, the Yogi Adityanath government has announced its plan to impose a lockdown in the state starting 10 pm on July 10, Friday till 5 am on July 13, Monday. It would be the first unilateral lockdown announced in the BJP-run state.
This action from the state government comes in a bid to curb the chain of transmission of coronavirus in UP, after a dramatic 1,248 fresh cases registered in the state on Thursday alone. The infection is widely spreading through the cities of Noida and Ghaziabad.
“After reviewing the current Covid-19 situation, the state government for containment of Covid-19 and some vector-borne diseases such as encephalitis, malaria, dengue, kala-azar, the state government has imposed certain restrictions from 10 pm onwards from July 10 to 5 am on July 13,” said RK Tiwari, the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary, issuing an order on late Thursday evening.
Uttar Pradesh Government imposes lockdown in the State from 10 pm tomorrow till 5 am on 13th July. pic.twitter.com/KISyWekCW8
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) July 9, 2020
What is restricted?
The BJP-led dispensation, in its notification, stated that all markets, offices, urban and rural haats, grain markets, and other commercial establishments will remain shut in this duration. However, essential services will be allowed to function and supplied. It also announced that the state will run an extensive sanitation and drinking water supply consolidation drive across Uttar Pradesh, during the lockdown period.
Listing other restrictions on commercial establishments, it stated that essential health services and commodities supply will continue to operate as normal, and no restriction of movement will be imposed on people working in such roles, like corona warriors and door-step delivery persons.
Railways and airways services have been allowed to function unrestricted while roadways have been barred from operating. But, UPSRTC buses will be used to ferry passengers arriving at various stations, although it would remain inoperational in the rest of the state. Other than goods transportation, no other traffic is allowed to move on the state and national highways.
Who are the ones allowed to move?
All the officers and employees who are working with the sanitation and water supply drive would also be exempt from all movement restrictions. While at the same time, the already ongoing door-to-door COVID surveillance drive will continue unrestricted and so will the industrial units in rural areas, along with the continuous process establishments, given that all of them follow the required rules of social-distancing and other associated safety measures of COVID.
People whose movements are allowed can use their official identity cards as a COVID pass. The Adityanath government has also allowed ongoing large-scale construction, like government projects and expressways, PWD’s projects, big bridges, roads, and some private projects to go ahead unhindered. Uttar Pradesh Police and the district magistrates have been ordered to ensure the implementation of the fresh orders by adequate surveillance and patrolling.
What is happening in the rest of Uttar Pradesh?
Given the increasing cases of coronavirus, the Ballia District administration prolonged the full lockdown in Ballia and its neighboring areas until July 21. The shutdown was placed on July 3 in the city, which was to conclude on July 10.
Gautam Buddh Nagar of Uttar Pradesh, reported 172 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the count up to 3,178. The largest number of viable COVID-19 instances have been recorded in Ghaziabad (1,352), led by Gautam Buddh Nagar (1,011).
According to the MoHFW or the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, a total of 31,156 COVID-19 cases have been recorded in UP so far. 20,331 patients have recovered completely and been discharged from hospitals, while 862 have succumbed to the deadly contagious disease, leaving 10,373 active cases.
