Sunday lockdown in UP; fine for not wearing masks increased
Amid rising COVID-19 cases, the Uttar Pradesh government announced fresh curbs on Friday, including "weekly closure" of markets on Sundays in rural and urban areas. For people found without face masks, the government raised the fine up to Rs. 10,000. The development comes a day after UP reported a record single-day rise of over 22,000 new coronavirus infections. Here are more details.
'Sanitization, cleanliness work will be done on Sundays'
Additional Chief Secretary (Information) Navneet Sehgal said, "There will be no restriction on movement of people on the days. The markets which are shut on different days will now be shut on Sunday, and sanitization and cleanliness work will be done on Sundays." The fine for not wearing masks in public places is Rs. 1,000 for first-time offenders and Rs. 10,000 for subsequent violations.
Private hospitals to be converted into COVID-19 facilities
The government has ordered district administrations in 10 worst-affected districts to convert private hospitals into dedicated COVID-19 facilities. All 108 ambulances will be used only for COVID-19 patients. A dedicated COVID-19 hospital with 1,000 beds will be established in Lucknow. Private and government-run COVID-19 testing facilities have been directed to work at full capacity.
Lucknow's KGMU, Balrampur hospital, etc., being converted into COVID-19 facilties
Lucknow's King George's Medical University, Balrampur Hospital and Cancer Institute are being converted into dedicated COVID-19 facilities, along with Era Medical College, TS Mishra Medical College, Integral Medical College, Mayo Medical College, and Hind Medical College.
Schools shut till May 15; board exams postponed
On Thursday, the state government announced that schools will remain shut till May 15. State board examinations have been postponed. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath—who has also tested positive—tweeted on Thursday, "Corona curfew to be effective from 8 pm to 7 am in all 10 districts with more than 2,000 active cases including Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Kanpur Nagar, Gautam Budh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Meerut, and Gorakhpur."
UP saw record rise of 22,000 infections yesterday
In Uttar Pradesh, daily new infections have surged at an alarming rate, growing more than eight-fold from 2,600 on April 1 to a record 22,439 on April 15. Active cases also rose from 11,918 to 1,29,848 during the period. 35,865 active infections are in Lucknow alone. The cumulative tally has now risen to 7,66,360. 104 more deaths recorded pushed the death toll to 9,480.
