People caught without a mask in Uttar Pradesh can face a fine of up to Rs 10,000 said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday, 16 April, while announcing fresh and stricter guidelines amid a surge of COVID cases across the state.
The state also announced a Sunday lockdown in every urban and rural area of the state. This will be a weekly feature, according to officials.
Essential services will remain operational during the lockdowns. An extensive sanitisation campaign will be conducted every Sunday to control the surge.
On 15 April, the state postponed Board exams after reporting the highest single-day spike in COVID cases. Meanwhile, a 7 pm to 8 am night curfew has been enforced in 10 districts.
10k Penalty for Not Wearing Masks
The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to impose heavy fines if any COVID protocols are violated. The punishment includes a 1,000 rupees penalty if found not wearing a mask for the first time and Rs 10,000 for the second offence.
Sunday Lockdown
The Yogi government said that all markets, offices, gyms, auditoriums, and cinema halls will be closed.
All government and private offices will be closed and a massive sanitization program will be carried out across all 75 districts. Essential services have been exempted from the lockdown.
UP Govt Orders COVID Hospitals to Ramp Up Facility
The government ordered the administration to strengthen the medical infrastructure in all districts with high COVID rates such as Kanpur, Prayagraj, and Varanasi.
According to officials, private hospitals will be converted into COVID hospitals. "United Medical College in Prayagraj will also be converted into a dedicated COVID facility," an official said.
"The response time of the ambulance is minimized. Availability of oxygen and other medical needs should be ensured. Please inform the government immediately if there is any requirement,” Adityanath said in a meeting with administrators.
Uttar Pradesh COVID Stats
Uttar Pradesh on Thursday reported 104 deaths and 22,439 fresh cases, pushing the death count to 9,480 and the total infection number to 7,66,360.
Uttar Pradesh has reported a growth rate of 19.25 percent in daily new cases, informed the Health Ministry on Friday, 16 April.
46 districts in Uttar Pradesh have crossed their reported highest cases in the last 30 days; Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi and Prayagraj are the most affected districts
The Health Ministry has, as per ANI, said that Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra are reporting more than one lakh Active Cases.
Further, the Health Ministry has informed that both Chhattisgarh and UP are are reporting very high number of daily new cases and high deaths caused by COVID-19.
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