BackAs Covid cases surge in India, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, others widen curbs. Key updates
India on Tuesday reported 24,492 new coronavirus cases as curbs to try to stop the spread of COVID-19 were expanded in parts of the country that have recorded a surge
PremiumCovid-19 daily cases in India has seen an uptick in the last few weeks and the country reported more than 20,000 new infections for the sixth straight day on Tuesday, according to the Union Health Ministry data.
Today, India reported 24,492 new coronavirus cases as curbs to try to stop the spread of COVID-19 were expanded in parts of the country that have recorded a surge.
Here is a lowdown on all the states that have imposed fresh curbs, patial lockdown, night curfews to curb the spread:
Maharashtra:
Worst-hit state by the pandemic, Maharashtra, on Monday, ordered cinemas, hotels and restaurants to limit guests to half of capacity until the end of the month. Weddings and other social events will also have limited attendance.
To curb spread, Mumbai's civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) asked schools to stop 50% rotational attendance rule from March 17. It also said that teachers will take their classes in 'Work From Home' pattern with help of e-learning platforms until further orders.
Maharashtra has also locked down some districts including Thane, Nagpur, Pune etc.
Gujarat:
Gujarat has also decided to not allow fans into the world's biggest cricket stadium hosting international matches between India and England, after seeing a spurt in cases.
The initial matches were attended by tens of thousands of people sitting or standing shoulder to shoulder, with few wearing masks, leading to widespread criticism on social media.
Madhya Pradesh:
MP government announced night curfew in Bhopal and Indore city areas from Wednesday, an official said.
Besides, shops will remain closed after 10 pm in eight other cities, he said.
Shops will be closed after 10 pm in Jabalpur, Gwalior, Ujjain, Ratlam, Chhindwara, Burhanpur, Betul and Khargone, the official said.
On Holi, no public programs will be allowed, but the festival can be celebrated by individuals.
Thermal screening and one-week isolation for those arriving from neighbouring Maharashtra will continue.
Punjab:
Night curfew has been imposed in Patiala and Ludhiana districts. The night curfew will remain in place in the district from 11 pm to 5 am.
Night curfew has already been imposed in four other districts in the state -Jalandhar, SBS Nagar, Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala from Saturday to tackle a recent surge in coronavirus cases.
Moreover, the Punjab School Education Board on Monday announced the postponement of the final exams of classes 10 and 12 by about a month in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases in the state.
The exams of class 10 will now start from May 4 instead of April 9, the date which was earlier scheduled, according to a statement issued by the PSEB.
The exams of 12th standard will start from April 20. Earlier, the exams were to begin from March 22.
The exams of classes 10 and 12 will end on May 24, it further said.
India's total cases have now risen to 1.1 crore, the highest in the world after the United States and Brazil. Deaths increased by 131 to 158,856 in the past 24 hours, data from the health ministry showed.
On the other hand, the country's vaccination drive has crossed 3-crore mark yesterday since the mega drive began on 16 January, 2021. On Monday, more than 30 lakh people were inoculated against COVID-19, the highest in a day so far.
The government has blamed crowding and a general reluctance to wear masks for the spike, ruling out mutations of the virus as a factor.
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