Amid Omicron scare UP govt reimposes COVID night curfew

As India's Omicron cases have jumped to 360, with Maharashtra at 88 cases and Delhi at 67 the Uttar Pradesh government has re-imposed the night curfew from the night of December 25.

The curfew will be imposed from 11 pm to 5 am. Now the Poll-bound UP has become the second state, after Madhya Pradesh, to impose night-time restrictions.

After holding a high-level meeting UP CM Yogi Adityanath instructed officials to limit the number of people attending events like marriages to 200 & social gatherings have to follow COVID-19 guidelines and the organisers have to inform the local authorities about the same.

UP CM also asked the officials to ensure all traders follow the "no mask, no goods" policy and made it mandatory for everyone to wear masks on the streets or in the markets.

According to UP CM, the situation in the state is under control as of now but he has directed the officials to ensure that people coming to UP from other states or abroad are traced and tested for coronavirus, and maintain extra care on airports, buses and railway stations.

The Centre has already warned all states and UTs that the Omicron variant is three times more infectious than the Delta strain which led scary second wave this year.

Notably, while Allahabad High Court had appealed to ban all election rallies and postpone election stating 'the lives are more important than the state', the Election Commission of India is holding a meeting with the Health Ministry on December 27 to discuss the current COVID-19 situation and the impact of the Omicron variant in the states. Sources informed, the Assembly elections 2022 will also be discussed during the meeting.