Which states have imposed fresh curbs amid COVID-19 surge?
The Delhi government has decided to impose a 100% work from home rule for private office employees, reports said citing sources. Dine-in facility at restaurants in the city may also be stopped while delivery and takeaways will continue. Besides Delhi, several other states and union territories have either announced or are mulling more restrictions as COVID-19 cases continue to surge across India.
Why does this story matter?
The fresh curbs in several states come as India continues to see a rise in COVID-19 cases. Daily new infections have jumped from 10,000 to nearly 1.6 lakh in a span of just 10 days. The country has also recorded more than 4,000 cases of the new Omicron variant, which has spread to 27 states and UTs.
DDMA holds review meet
Earlier in the day, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) had held a meeting to review the COVID-19 situation in the national capital. Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were part of the meet. DDMA officials, however, said no lockdown will be imposed in the city. Delhi, on Sunday, recorded 22,751 new coronavirus cases and a positivity rate of 23.53%.
Kerala's set of fresh rules
Meanwhile, Kerala has also imposed new curbs after witnessing a spike in COVID-19 cases. As part of the revised restrictions, weddings and funerals will be allowed with a maximum of 50 people. Besides, social, political, and cultural gatherings will be carried out online. Further, the state education department has been directed to ensure that vaccination for students aged above 15 is completed this week.
Andhra Pradesh announces night curfew
On Monday, the government of Andhra Pradesh announced a night curfew from 11 pm to 5 am. Further, no more than 200 people will be allowed at outdoor events while the limit is 100 for indoor gatherings. The southern state had reported 1,257 fresh COVID-19 cases on Sunday, the highest single-day surge since September 24, last year.
Haryana schools shut till January 26
In Haryana, schools and colleges will remain shut until at least January 26. Online classes will continue for the time being, State Chief Minister ML Khattar said on Monday. Separately, the Uttar Pradesh government has ordered 100% vaccination of adults before the state goes to polls from February. Presently, there is a 55% full vaccination coverage in that state.
COVID-19 situation in India
On Monday morning, India added 1,79,723 new coronavirus cases to its tally. The daily positivity rate stood at 13.29% and the weekly positivity rate at 7.92%. The country has also reported 4,033 cases of the Omicron variant. Meanwhile, more than 151.94 crore coronavirus vaccine doses have been administered in India, according to the Union Health Ministry.
Rate of hospitalization between 5-10%
The Centre said 5-10% of active COVID-19 cases require hospitalization at this time. It, however, added the situation is dynamic and may change rapidly. During the second wave of coronavirus infections in India, the rate of hospitalization was between 20-23%.
