Night curfew likely where cases rise sharply: Vijay Wadettiwar

NAGPUR: Concerned over the alarming rise in number of Covid-19 patients in Vidarbha, state relief and rehabilitation minister Vijay Wadettiwar on Saturday warned of imposing night curfew at such places, if the situation further deteriorates. He, however, made it clear that the final decision would be made only after a meeting with chief minister Uddhav Thackeray next week in Mumbai.
“The entire Vidarbha region is witnessing a spike in cases. Even in Nagpur, over 750 cases were reported yesterday. The government has already declared partial lockdown in Wardha, Amravati and Yavatmal. If fresh cases jump exponentially, the government needs to take strict measures like night curfew,” the minister told TOI.
He said the curfew would be imposed from 5pm to 5am and the government would entrust district administrations — including collectors and municipal commissioners — to take a final decision depending on the conditions in their respective areas.
“During curfew, all places like marriage halls, markets, cinema halls and others where crowds gather in large numbers would be closed. The sudden surge is due to the majority of people becoming careless and not following Covid-19 protocols like wearing masks and maintaining Covid distancing,” Wadettiwar said.
The Bramhapuri MLA also came down heavily on the political rallies by leaders, suggesting them to stop such events till the situation returns to normal. “Both the ruling and opposition party leaders are taking out such rallies and agitations where a large number of supporters gather. The top leaders should avoid visiting such rallies.”
Indicating that the marriage halls were turning out to be super-spreaders, the former leader of opposition said instructions were issued to the administration to crack down at such places and impose a harsh penalty of Rs1 lakh if more than 50 persons were found at one place. “We’re also considering regulating the vegetable markets where people gather. Such places may be allowed to open from 10am to 5pm with restrictions,” Wadettiwar said.
Raut cancels son’s post-wedding reception
In view of rising cases in Nagpur, energy minister Nitin Raut has cancelled the post-wedding reception of his son Kunal and daughter-in-law Akansha. It was scheduled on Sunday, where a large number of dignitaries was expected to arrive. Raut said, “We’ve decided to cancel the event to avoid any further spread. As a guardian minister, I want to set an example for others. I would appeal to the citizens to remain careful and compulsorily use masks and sanitisers while venturing out of their homes.”
The minister issued instructions to the administration to keep a close watch on the situation and take measures accordingly to prevent spread of the deadly disease. “Currently, we haven’t decided on anything like a lockdown. We will meet next week to gauge the situation and then take a decision,” he told TOI.