Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced today. During the weekend curfew essential activities like weddings planned already will be allowed with passes.
Auditoriums, restaurants, malls, gyms and spas will be shut down and movie theatres will be allowed with a third of their capacity on weekdays. Eating out is banned and only home deliveries and takeaways are allowed. Weekly markets will continue but with restrictions – one market will be allowed on any day at a given zone.
Calling the wave of new cases deadlier than before, Mr Kejriwal said all gatherings — social, religious or political – stand banned. The number of people at weddings will be limited to 50 and only 20 people will be allowed at funerals. Delhi reported 17,282 fresh cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday in the highest single-day surge in the capital since the pandemic erupted. The figure makes Delhi the worst-hit city in the second wave of infections raging through the country.
Across India, Covid cases climbed to a new record of over two lakh infections in 24 hours.
Mr Kejriwal had earlier said a lockdown is not the best way to slow the spread of the coronavirus and that it would be enforced only if the “hospital system collapses” in Delhi
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government announced a night curfew in districts with over 2,000 Covid-19 cases. The new curfew timings, 8pm -7am, will be implemented in places such as Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Kanpur city, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Meerut and Gorakhpur, among others.
Here is the list of what is allowed and what is not:
— The curfew will begin at 10pm on Friday and continue till 6am on Monday .
— Essential services will be allowed.
— Passes will be given to those who are to be married on those days.
— Restaurants will be shut in Delhi. No dine-in is allowed. However, home-deliveries will be permitted.
— There will be special markets with special arrangements; only one weekly market will be allowed in every municipal zone per week.
— Cinema halls will operate with 30% capacity.
— According to sources, spas, malls, auditoriums and gyms will remain closed. A detailed order is awaited.
— Strict enforcement of Covid-appropriate behaviour such as social distancing and mask-wearing in public places will be ensured.
