Delhi Police enhances patrol, puts barricades as weekend curfew unrolls

The Delhi Police intensified patrolling, raised barricades and warned people of legal action as authorities kept up the vigil to check violations of weekend curfew that kicked in Friday night to curb the spread of coronavirus in the city.

The curfew started at 10 pm Friday and will remain in force till Monday 5 am.

Police erected barricades at several places to check vehicles and ensure that no person was moving around unauthorisedly during the curfew period.

"Patrolling has been intensified in view of the weekend curfew," a senior Delhi Police officer said.

Legal action will be taken if anyone violates the COVID-19 curfew orders, he said.

Officials in several districts said that teams will be in the field through the 55-hour curfew period to ensure that the order was not violated and people did not venture out unnecessarily.

"We are prepared to enforce curfew conditions and other coronavirus-related guidelines. People are likely to keep indoors as it has been raining. It will make our task a bit easy," a district official said in the morning.

In view of the surge in coronavirus cases due to the Omicron variant, the Delhi government announced the weekend curfew on Tuesday.

"A weekend curfew has been imposed to minimise the spread of the coronavirus in Delhi. Visit the hospital only if you have severe symptoms. Treatment is possible under home-isolation. Wear a mask and follow all the COVID-related protocols," Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain tweeted Saturday morning.

During the weekend curfew, only those involved in essential services and those facing an emergency situation are allowed to step out of their homes. Those venturing out will have to produce e-passes issued by the government or valid identity cards.

People can apply for an e-pass for the weekend curfew and the night curfew on weekdays on "http://www.delhi.gov.in.

Officials involved in essential and emergency services are included in exempted category and can move out by showing their identity cards.

People coming from or going to airports, railway stations and inter-state bus terminuses will be allowed on the production of valid tickets. Pregnant women and patients going to get medical and health services, along with attendants, are exempted on the production of valid identity cards and a doctor's prescription.

During the weekend curfew, only shops dealing in essential items such as groceries, medical equipment, medicines will be allowed to open.

If anyone has any kind of emergency like going to a hospital etc. will be allowed to move. We request the citizens not to come out of their homes without any reason during the curfew and to follow Covid-appropriate behavior, Delhi Police public relations officer Chnmoy Biswal had said on Friday.