1-hr ease in night curfew amid dip in Covid cases

NOIDA: Amid a significant dip in the Covid-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi Adityanath government on Tuesday relaxed the night curfew timings by one more hour -- now, from 11pm to 6am on a daily basis. Earlier, the eight-hour-long night curfew was in place from 10pm to 6am.

Awanish Kumar Awasthi, additional chief secretary (home), said, “Amidst the new night curfew timings, markets will remain open from 6am to 11pm from Monday to Sunday. However, other Covid-19 protocols like wearing masks, using sanitisers and maintaining social distancing must be followed.”

Suhas LY, district magistrate, Gautam Budh Nagar, said that gyms, cinema halls and sports complexes will function with 50% capacity, however, swimming pools will remain closed. “People will not be allowed to stage a protest without due permissions, and only 50 people can attend wedding ceremonies. Violation of the police order is punishable under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 188 (disobeying public order),” he said.

The new guidelines came into effect as entrepreneurs in the hospitality business had sought relaxations in curfew hours, saying that it had been adversely affecting their business. Varun Khera, head of National Restaurant Association of India (Noida chapter), said, “The restaurant sector has been one of the worst affected sectors due to the Covidinduced curbs. The sector may see a 20% increase in the business amidst the ease in curbs.”

The state has reported 22 Covid-19 cases and no deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the tally to 1,709,479 and 27,863, respectively.