UP, Maharashtra and Haryana impose night curfews, other curbs

Several states have announced curbs and Covid containment measures ahead of Christmas and New Year amid rising concern over the spread of the Omicron variant. The recent spike in overall new infections in Delhi and Mumbai has added to the alarm.

Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Haryana announced night curfews and other restrictions on Friday. Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat and West Bengal had already announced restrictions.

Uttarakhand said it may impose a night curfew and other restrictions. The measures are set to mute Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Maharashtra announced a 9 pm to 6 am curfew and banned any assembly of five or more people in the state in public places following a sharp rise in cases.

Weddings, Other Events
The number of people at weddings and social, political or religious functions has been capped at 100 in closed spaces and 250 or 25% of the capacity at open-air venues, whichever is less.

Cinema halls, restaurants, gyms, spas and auditoriums can function at 50% capacity. Spectators will be limited to 25% of the total capacity for sports, events and competitions. Maharashtra recorded 20 new Omicron cases on Friday.

Early Friday, Uttar Pradesh announced a night curfew across the state from 11 pm to 5 am starting December 25 and limited the number of guests at weddings and other public functions to 200. Those organising such events must inform the local administration as well.

Additionally, masks have been made mandatory in shops and on the street. People arriving from other states or overseas should be traced and tested, the state said.

Haryana announced a curfew from 11 pm to 5 am and restricted gatherings to 50% of capacity with a maximum of 200 people indoors and 300 in open spaces. Restaurants, bars, spas, gyms and cinemas can function with people following social distancing norms.

Delhi and Mumbai see spike
Delhi recorded 180 new Covid cases on Friday compared with 69 a week ago. Mumbai's cases more than doubled in three days to 683 on Friday from 327 on Tuesday.

India counted 358 Omicron cases Thursday in 17 states and union territories. Of these, 114 had recovered. Maharashtra had the highest number of Omicron cases followed by Delhi, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. However, the overall Covid situation continues to improve. Total active cases, an indicator of the pandemic situation, declined further on Thursday to 77,516, even though the key metros continue to see a spike.

Madhya Pradesh announced a six-hour curfew on Thursday and asked people to follow Covid protocols. On Tuesday, Karnataka banned mass gatherings and New Year celebrations. Odisha has imposed curbs on Christmas celebrations and banned New Year festivities.

West Bengal has extended its Covid restrictions until January 15, though some relaxation was allowed between December 24 and January 1 for Christmas and New Year.

Delhi has prohibited all social, political, sports, entertainment, cultural, religious festival-related gatherings.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Thursday taken stock of Covid preparedness in the wake of the Omicron spread.

"Our focus is on further ramping up health infra, testing, tracing and ensuring full vaccination coverage," he had tweeted.