Lockdown in Uttar Pradesh: Prayagraj, Lucknow, Varanasi, Noida wear deserted look during UP lockdown

Lockdown in UP latest updates: Uttar Pradesh Lockdown will begin 10 pm today. (Representative image by Reuters)

Uttar Pradesh Lockdown News: Major cities in Uttar Pradesh viz., Lucknow, Noida, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Moradabad etc., wear a deserted look on the first day of lockdown in Uttar Pradesh. The UP state govt has imposed lockdown in the state from 10 pm on July 10th to 5 am on July 13th. All offices, markets and commercial establishments to remain closed, essential services allowed.  In Varanasi, UP Police Personnel were seen checking IDs of people as they move about for their daily chores. Uttar Pradesh Principal Health Secretary Amit Mohan Prasad has said that the state government has raised the penalty amount for not wearing face masks in public from Rs 100 to Rs 500. A notification has been issued to this effect today.

According to the official statement of the state government, all offices, markets and commercial establishments in the state will remain closed during the lockdown period. However, essential services will be allowed. Indian railway’s trains and flights will also continue to operate in the state. As many as 845 deaths due to Coronavirus have been reported in the state till Wednesday. The total number of active cases in Uttar Pradesh is 9,980 while about 20,331 people have been discharged/cured. Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddh Nagar district has recorded 172 new COVID19 cases. This is the highest in the state in the last 24 hours. This has taken the district’s coronavirus cases tally to 3,178 and death toll at 31.

Uttar Pradesh Lockdown: What’s open and what is closed

Here are details of the lockdown in Uttar Pradesh:

– All offices, rural and urban mandis, markets and commercial establishments will remain closed during the lockdown.

– All essential services, health and medical services will remain open like earlier. There will be no restriction on the movement of people working for essential services, corona warriors, doorstep delivery personnel, and cleanliness workers.

– Trains will continue to operate. State transport corporation will make arrangements for movement of people arriving to the state in trains.

– Apart from the reason mentioned in the above point, UP Roadways buses will not operate during the lockdown.

– Domestic and international flights will continue to operate as earlier.

– There will be no restriction on the movement of goods carriers. National and state highways will remain open. Petrol pumps and dhabas along the highways will remain open.

– Industrial establishments in rural areas will remain open.

– Offices related to essential services will remain open.

A campaign for sanitation and supply of potable water would be carried out from July 10 to July 12 and all officials and employees involved in it have been exempted from these restrictions, the order said, adding the concerned offices too will remain open. The ongoing campaign of medical screening and surveillance too would continue unhindered, as per a report.

Industrial units in rural areas would remain open, the order said, adding that barring the industrial units which work continuously, other units in the urban areas would remain closed. All big construction works of expressways, bridges, roads and private projects would also continue.

At every public place, an awareness program would continue with the help of the public address system against COVID-19 and communicable diseases. The magistrates and police officers would hold joint patrolling and the teams of police and UP-112 would ensure these restrictions, the report said.

On Thursday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath issued orders for conducting 40,000 tests in the state per day to trace the spread of coronavirus. Till now, around 35,000 tests per day are being conducted in the state. As COVID-19 cases are rising in Jhansi, Kanpur and Varanasi, the CM said a team of specialists doctors should be sent to the three districts. He also said that extra vigil should be maintained in districts reporting rising cases of coronavirus infection.

Yogi Adityanath also asked officials to make people aware of precautions like wearing masks, the government said in an official statement.