COVID cases reach alarming highs; Maharashtra announces night curfew and weekend lockdown
The daily COVID case count in the country has been a steep rising curve, with the Sunday (April 4th) tally crossing a lakh for the first time and beating the previous high of 97,894 recorded in September last year. This was also when Mumbai reported the highest single-day spike in cases since the beginning of the pandemic, with a 24-hour tally of 11,163 cases reported.
10 states have contributed to more than 91% of the cases and deaths due to COVID. At a high level meeting chaired by the Prime Minister, it was noted that the situation in Maharashtra, Punjab and Chhattisgarh is of serious concern. As of date, Maharashtra has contributed 57% of total cases in the country in the last 14 days and 47% of deaths in the country during the same period. The state announced new restrictions, including a night curfew from 8 pm to 7 am and a weekend lockdown.
Read more: COVID scenario: Latest trends across cities and coping strategies
Earlier, on April 2nd, Pune district had already recorded more than 9000 new cases of COVID-1, taking the total tally of cases beyond 5.5 lakh. The alarming rise in cases forced the district authorities to impose a weeklong night curfew. From 3rd April, Pune has been under night curfew from 6 PM to 6 AM. Only home deliveries of food, medicines and other essential services are allowed. Religious places, hotels and bars, shopping malls, and movie theatres will also remain closed. On the same day (April 2nd), Pune witnessed the highest vaccination shots in a single day – 70,000.
Source: The Indian Express | PIB | Hindustan Times | NDTV
No lockdown in Delhi: Kejriwal
Delhi registered 3594 new cases in 24 hours on 2nd April 2021, the highest in 2021 so far. The last time Delhi recorded the highest cases was on 4th December at 4,067. However, the Delhi CM made it clear that the government had no plans to impose a lockdown, and that the situation is less serious compared to last time. Arvind Kejriwal has also focused on ramping up the vaccination drive in the national capital. Delhi’s positive rate stands at 4.5% and more than 11000 people have died due to the virus.
Source: NDTV
Read more: COVID restrictions return in Bengaluru
Night curfew timings increased in the cities of Rajasthan
Amidst a new surge in COVID-19 cases, Rajasthan has issued a new set of guidelines. The government has increased the timings of its night curfew by an hour. The night curfew will now be in force from 10 pm (instead of 11 pm) to 5 am. The new guidelines have also ordered for closure of classes up to the fifth grade till further order. In the meantime, the government is speeding up its vaccination drive for people above 45 years of age. 2.09 crore people will be eligible for vaccination under this category, informed the state health ministry.
Source: Times Now
No home isolation for 60 plus people in Agra
In order to provide the best of healthcare services and protect senior citizens from the coronavirus, the Agra administration has decided to end the home isolation option for 60 plus people. The decision will also apply to the ones below 60 years but with co-morbidity, so that they may be provided appropriate medical treatment in the hospital. The vaccination drive has also been slow in the city and the city’s health officer has appealed to residents to come forward for vaccination.
Source: Hindustan Times
Gurugram crosses 2000 active cases, first time in 2021
With 368 new cases on 1st April, Gurugram registered the highest single-day spike this year. Last time it was on 10th December 2020, when the city witnessed more than 300 cases in a single day. So far, 365 people have succumbed to infection and the recovery rate of the city is pegged at 98%. More than 9,46,000 people have been put on surveillance and city authorities are trying to test more than 5000 samples a day on an average. The health authorities have identified Holi celebrations as a major reason for the spike in daily cases. The city has tested 9,37,622 samples till now, out of which 8,69,799 tested negative.
Source: The Times of India
Uttarakhand on alert as Kumbh Mela begins in Haridwar
Kumbh Mela, one of the largest human gatherings on the planet, has started in the holy city of Haridwar. The Mela started on 1st April and thousands of devotees flocked the city on the first day itself. The Uttarakhand government has made it mandatory for people travelling to Uttarakhand to produce a negative RT-PCR report, obtained within 72 hours prior to travel. mandatory for people traveling to Uttarakhand.
The new guidelines also provide for COVID-19 testing booths at all the entry points of Uttarakhand. Dehradun airport and Haridwar railway station authorities have been instructed to install proper sanitization and testing facilities. A massive crowd is expected in Haridwar on April 12th on the occasion of the first ‘shahi snan‘ of Mahakumbh. Experts have warned of Haridwar and Rishikesh emerging as the hotspots of the novel coronavirus infection in Uttarakhand.
Source: Moneycontrol | India Today
[Compiled by Rishabh Shrivastava]
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