Covid-19: UP shuts schools, extends night curfew by two hours

In view of steady increase in COVID-19 cases, the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday ordered closure of all schools up to Class 10 till January 15 and extended the night curfew by two hours.

In the districts where the number of active cases exceeds 1,000, not more than 100 people will be allowed at marriage ceremonies and other events. Public places like gyms, spas, cinema halls, banquet halls and restaurants will operate at 50 per cent capacity.

The night curfew will be imposed from 10 pm to 6 am from Thursday, according to a statement.

Presently, the night curfew is being implemented from 11 pm to 5 am.

The decisions were taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on a day the state reported 992 new infection cases.

Currently, no UP district has more that 1,000 coronavirus cases.

The CM said genome sequencing has confirmed 23 Omicron variant cases in the state.

Tracing and testing of those who came in contact with them should be done, the CM said.

He directed that it should be made mandatory for devotees coming to Prayagraj Magh Mela to produce a negative RT-PCR test report, which should not be older that 24 hours.

According to an official release, 992 new cases were detected on Tuesday in the state.

The number of active cases in the state stood at 3,173, the release said, adding that the highest 174 cases were found in Ghaziabad, followed by 165 in Gautam Buddh Nagar, 150 in Lucknow and 102 in Meerut.

No death was reported in the state in the past 24 hours. The death toll stood at 22,916.

So far, more than 3.5 lakh teens have got the coronavirus vaccine in the state. A drive in this regard started on January 3.

The chief minister said there is no need to panic.

Alertness and caution are needed. People should be encouraged to wear masks, take vaccine and practice social distancing. This is the best first aid measure," he said.