UP lockdown: Allahabad HC orders lockdown in 5 cities; state govt says no

The Allahabad High Court ordered the UP government on Monday to impose a lockdown in Lucknow, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj and Kanpur, districts majorly affected by Covid-19, for a week. However, the government said it was not possible to do so, citing the need to save livelihoods along with lives.

In a strongly-worded order indicting the state government for inadequate medical help during the recent surge in Covid-19 cases, the court directed the government to shut all establishments, except those involved in essential services, till April 26, apart from a slew of other directions including closure of religious establishments.

The prevalent night curfews and weekend curfews were a mere “eyewash”, the court said, besides expressing displeasure with the way the government and State Election Commission went ahead with the ongoing panchayat elections, exposing teachers and government staff to the risk of infection. The court said the surge had “virtually incapacitated” the medical infrastructure in UP, especially in cities such as Prayagraj, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi and Gorakhpur, where it asked for imposition of complete lockdown.

“If people die of pandemic in a large number due to paucity of sufficient medical aid it would be the governments to blame which failed to counter the pandemic even after one long year of experience.”