COVID-19 curfew, lockdown news: List of states that have imposed weekend curfew, lockdown amid Coronavirus surge

In a bid to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, several states and Union Territories, including Delhi, Rajasthan, Chandigarh have imposed a weekend curfew or night curfews. The country recorded a single-day rise of 2,17,353 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 1,42,91,917, while active cases surpassed the 15-lakh mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday (April 16).

The death toll increased to 1,74,308 with 1,185 new fatalities,?the highest since September 19, 2020, the data updated at 8 am showed.

Registering a steady increase for the 37th day in a row, the active cases have increased to 15,69,743, comprising 10.98 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate dropped to 87.80 per cent. The active caseload was at its lowest at 1,35,926 on February 12 and it was at its highest at 10,17,754 on September 18, 2020.

Here's a list of all the states and Union Territories where a weekend curfew or a night curfew has been imposed:

Delhi:

To control the spread of COVID-19, it has been decided to impose a weekend curfew in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal informed on Thursday (April 15). The curfew will be imposed from Friday (April 16) 10 pm till 6 am on Monday (April 19). Curfew passes will be issued to those rendering essential services. All malls, gyms, spas and auditoriums will be closed and cinemas halls to operate at 30% capacity only. People will not be allowed to dine-in restaurants, only home deliveries are permitted.

The Arvind Kejriwal government on April 6 imposed a night curfew amid a massive spike in the COVID-19 caseload. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) ordered a seven-hour curfew from 10 pm to 5 am will continue till April 30.

Kejriwal gave relaxation to essential services and upcoming marriages with provisions of providing them certain passes to avoid panic.

Rajasthan:

In view of the rising Covid-19 cases, the Rajasthan government has imposed a weekend curfew in the state from Friday evening to Monday morning.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot made the announcement late on Thursday night after chairing a core group meeting and shared the information on his Twitter handle.

Gehlot said that curfew has been clamped in the state from Friday evening at 6 pm to Monday morning till 5 am.

According to officials, all restrictions will remain the same as lockdown under the weekend curfew.

However, it was informed that voting rights shall be allowed during the curfew tenure in three constituencies which will go for bypoll on April 17.

Emergency and essential services are being allowed during this period. Banking and LPG services, and fruit, vegetable and milk vendors are exempted from the weekend curfew.

Chandigarh:

In the wake of the rising number of coronavirus cases, the Chandigarh administration on Friday decided to impose the weekend curfew in Chandigarh from Friday 10 pm to Monday 5 am. Only essential services will be allowed during this period. Manoj Parida, the advisor to Chandigarh administrator, informed that there will be no impact on NDA and other exams' schedule as students will be allowed to travel after they display their admit card. The vaccination programme will also continue during curfew, informed Parida.

Maharashtra:

Reeling under an unprecedented COVID-19 wave, Maharashtra will undergo a virtual lockdown for the next 15 days starting 8 pm on April 14. The "lockdown-like" restrictions, which exclude essential services, will come into effect from 8 pm on April 14 and remain in force till 7 am on May 1.

Punjab:

The Punjab government has imposed a statewide night curfew from 9 pm to 5 am. 

Uttar Pradesh:

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh announced a complete lockdown in the state on Sunday (April 18) in a bid to contain the COVID-19 surge. Those caught without a mask in Uttar Pradesh can face a fine of up to Rs 10,000, the Chief Minister ordered as part of new tougher rules. People caught without a mask will be fined Rs 1,000 the first time and Rs 10,000 the next. 

Existing night curfew timings have been extended in some districts across Uttar Pradesh, including Noida and Lucknow, the state government announced on Thursday. The curfew has been extended by two hours overall and would now be in effect between 8pm and 7am. Earlier, the curfew was effective between 9pm and 6am. The timings have been extended in Noida, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Kanpur Nagar, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Meerut and Gorakhpur, according to the new order.

Madhya Pradesh:

While a night curfew between 10pm and 6am was imposed on all urban areas in Madhya Pradesh on April 8, a Sunday lockdown was also announced by the state government. Additionally, a week-long complete lockdown was announced on Chhindwara district and on April 12, another week-long ‘corona curfew’ was imposed on the capital city of Bhopal until April 19.

Odisha:

the Odisha government on Thursday announced a weekend shutdown in 10 districts bordering Chhattisgarh where the number of active coronavirus cases crossed the one lakh mark, an official said.
The restriction will be imposed in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Bolangir, Nabarngpur, Koraput and Malkangiri from Saturday, Chief Secretary S C Mohapatra said.
The government also extended night curfew to all urban areas of the state from the 10 western Odisha districts implemented on April 5.

Karnataka:

Night curfew has been imposed in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Kalaburagi, Bidar, Tumakuru, and Udupi-Manipal from 10 pm to 5 am, till April 20.

Jammu & Kashmir:

Night curfew has been imposed in urban areas of eight districts (Jammu, Srinagar, Udhampur, Baramulla, Kathua, Anantnag, Budgam, Kupwara) from 10 pm to 6 am.

Gujarat:

Night curfew imposed in Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Gandhinagar, Anand, Nadiad, Mehsana, Morbi, Dahod, Patan, Godhra, Bhuj, Gandhidham, Bharuch, Surendranagar, Surat, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, and Vadodara from 8 pm to 6 am, until April 30.