Haryana, Gujarat impose night curfews amid Omicron surge
What's the story
The Haryana government on Friday announced a night curfew amid growing concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus. The curfew will be in force from 11:00 pm to 5:00 am meaning public movement will be restricted across the state during that period. Further, only fully vaccinated people can enter public places like malls, restaurants, banks, and offices from January 1.
Context
Why does it matter?
This makes Haryana the third state to impose state-wide night curfews amid the Omicron scare, after Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. It also indicates that more restrictions may be brought in as Omicron spreads across the country. It is the most heavily mutated version of the coronavirus so far and is said to be highly infectious.
Details
CM Khattar made the announcement
The announcement was made by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar while chairing a COVID-19 review meeting. Others who attended the meet reportedly included Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala, Health Minister Anil Vij, Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal, Chief Principal Secretary to CM DS Dhesi, and others. The government added that no more than 200 people will be allowed at public events from January 1.
Gujarat
Gujarat extends curfew timings
Meanwhile, authorities in Gujarat have extended the night curfew timings for eight cities. Starting from Saturday, the restrictions will be in force from 11 pm to 5 am. The previous timing was 1 am to 5 am. The cities in question are Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Gandhinagar, and Junagadh. Gujarat has recorded a total of 30 Omicron cases so far.
Situation
Omicron in India
India's Omicron tally has reached 358 as of Friday morning. Several states have introduced curbs in view of the threat. In Delhi, no Christmas and New Year gatherings will take place. Besides, bars and restaurants in the city can operate with only up to 50% of their seating capacity. Similarly, prohibitory orders have been issued in Mumbai effectively banning all large gatherings.