Covid 19: Madhya Pradesh Imposes Night Curfew; Other States Put Special Restrictions Ahead of New Year Celebrations

As a precautionary step, the Madhya Pradesh government imposed a night curfew in the state from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Thursday, citing mounting concerns about the novel coronavirus variant Omicron. Residents were also encouraged to carefully observe Covid-19 guidelines. The curfew will be in effect starting Thursday night.

So yet, no cases of Omicron have been documented in Madhya Pradesh. "Given the rapid spread of the Omicron virus around the world, now is the moment for everyone to remain vigilant about the situation." The Centre has also given recommendations for maintaining social distance, wearing face masks, and avoiding crowded situations. "We have also decided to impose a night curfew in the entire state from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. tonight (Thursday) and will take more steps if necessary to cope with the issue," stated Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Karnataka

Of the aftermath of an increase in Omicron cases in the state, the state government has proposed limitations on public New Year's celebrations. From December 30 to January 2, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has announced that restrictions will be in effect.

"Mass New Year festivities in any location across the state have been prohibited," Bommai stated. "With no special events, bar and restaurant seating capacity has been limited to 50%." Pub and restaurant employees should be completely immunised."

The state released guidelines on Thursday that limit large-scale Christmas celebrations. The recommendations call for basic Christmas festivities that follow Covid-19 regulations, and citizens are encouraged to avoid crowding both inside and outside religious buildings. According to the criteria, churches can only accommodate up to 50% of their capacity for the midnight mass on December 24-25, with sanitization facilities required.

Face masks must be given, and physical distance must be maintained, according to the requirements. They call for fewer choir singers with appropriate separation and separate microphones, as well as no stalls or stores outside of churches.

Tamil Nadu

On Thursday, thirty-three people in Tamil Nadu, including international travellers and their contacts, were diagnosed with the Omicron strain of Covid-19, bringing the state's total to 34 from one in a single day. According to the state authorities, all but two of the 33 individuals were fully vaccinated.

All Omicron patients have been segregated and are being followed in several institutions across Tamil Nadu, according to Ma Subramanian, the state's health minister, who announced the results of genetic sequencing of samples taken from Covid-19 patients.

"On Wednesday night, the latest results of 33 passengers were released. The results of 23 samples are still pending. "With the exception of two toddlers, all of these passengers were vaccinated," Subramanian added.

Jammu & Kashmir

The UT Administration has decided to conduct Rapid Antigen Testing of all passengers travelling to J&K by road in light of the recent increase in instances. According to an order issued on Thursday by Kathua Deputy Commissioner Rahul Yadav, the test would be administered at Lakhanpur, the entrance point into J&K from Punjab, and at least 33% of entering travellers will be subjected to the RTPCR test.