The strictest of the measures are in Maharashtra, which is the worst-hit state due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Arvind Kejriwal (PTI image)
In view of rising Covid-19 cases, the Delhi government of Tuesday imposed a night curfew in the national capital from 10 pm to 5 am.The order will be imposed with immediate effect till April 30.
The national capital has joined the list of states which have imposed night curfew to check the unabated surge of Covid-19 cases. Delhi government has imposed a night curfew as a preventive measure to curb the surge of Covid-19 cases here, officials said.
Several states in India have followed the night curfew as a measure to check the Covid-19 spread including Maharashtra, Punjab, Odisha, Rajasthan, Gujarat and now Delhi has also joined the ranks.
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The strictest of the measures are in Maharashtra, which is the worst-hit state due to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, this is the second time in the pandemic that the night curfew is imposed in the national capital The last time night curfew was imposed in Delhi was on December 31 and January 1 to tackle gatherings to usher in the new year.
It was earlier reported that the Kejriwal government was considering imposing a night curfew to curb the infections. However, the decision is in contradiction to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s statement given on Friday where he said that lockdown cannot be a solution in the fight against the pandemic.
The thought was also echoed by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had on Friday said that Delhi was undergoing the fourth wave of COVID-19 but a lockdown was not being considered yet.
“As per the current situation, we are not considering imposing a lockdown. We are closely monitoring the situation and such a decision will only be taken after due public consultation,” the chief minister had said in a press briefing.
However, the officials said that the decision has come after the national capital reported about 3,500 infections daily for the last two days with a positive rate of over 5 per cent and a crackdown by Delhi Police against banquet halls, restaurants and night clubs over Covid violation.
However, experts don’t see it as an effective measure to curb the infection. Dr Arun Gupta, president, Delhi Medical Council, said that the effectiveness of night curfew is questionable while he suggested that focus should be diverted towards treatment at the current stage.
“We are at a stage where infection can’t be prevented. What best we can do is shift focus on treatment. Ample availability of beds and ventilators should be ensured in hospitals while mass vaccination of the population should also be started,” he suggested.
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