COVID-19: Sunday lockdown in all Uttar Pradesh districts till May 15; Rs 1000 fine for not wearing mask

LUCKNOW: Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, the Uttar Pradesh government has announced a lockdown across the state on all Sundays till May 15 and also said those caught for the second time not wearing a mask will be fined Rs 10,000.

The first time fine for not wearing a mask has been doubled to Rs 1,000 and officials have been directed to run a special campaign for sanitisation across the state, according to a statement.

"There will be a weekly closure in all rural and urban areas of the state on Sunday. Only sanitation, sanitisation and emergency services will operate during this period," the statement quoted Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as saying.

He also directed officials to run awareness campaigns in this regard.

Another statement said that "all markets, commercial institutions, offices etc will remain closed on Sundays till May 15 for proper implementation of this campaign.

It (the closure) will start from Saturday 8 pm till Monday 7 am. However medical and health-related emergencies will remain open".

This is a "weekly closure", it said, adding that chief minister has directed officials to run the "special campaign" for cleanliness, sanitisation and fogging across the state.

"A fine of Rs 1,000 will be imposed if someone is caught without a mask for the first time. If caught for the second time, Rs 10,000 fine amount will be imposed," the statement said.

The state on Thursday reported 104 deaths and 22,439 fresh cases, pushing the fatality count to 9,480 and the total infection number to 7,66,360.

The chief minister said that last year, the MLA development fund proved useful in the work related to prevent the spread of the virus.

This year also, according to rules, Rs 1 crore from funds of legislators can be used in COVID management on their recommendation, Adityanath said.

He said the first phase of panchayat elections was completed in a very peaceful manner and strict legal action should be taken against those involved in breaching peace at some places.