New Delhi, December 31, 2020
India joins the rest of the world with damp New Year Eve celebrations necessitated due to the pandemic
With the Coronavirus having wreaking havoc in the world with its vice -like grip in 2020, the new strain of the virus discovered in the UK has further worsened the situation.
The Centre had already advised citizens to be cautious, but in view of the New Year Eve celebrations today, has further strengthened the restrictions. There are new rules and regulations in place to ensure that any social event doesn’t become a super spreader. Large gatherings have been totally banned and social gatherings have been restricted to the minimum numbers prescribed.
A night curfew has been announced in the hustling and bustling metro city of Mumbai. The other metros to follow suit are Chennai and Delhi. The states of Punjab and Kerala, have also announced a ban on large gatherings keeping the spread of the pandemic in mind. India has so far reported 20 cases of the new strain of the Coronavirus found in UK. All the people who have been infected have a UK travel history and have returned from the UK.
The highlights of the restrictions are as follows:
In Delhi from 11pm to 6 am a night curfew has been imposed. From December 31st to January 1st, from 11pm till 6 am no large social gatherings, events, or congregations are permitted. This also extends from 11 pm on January 1st to 6 am on January 2nd 2021. This does not affect the traffic movement though, which can ply as usual.
Mumbai too has announced similar restrictions, but people can visit their friends, families and public places in groups of 4.It will be mandatory to follow the rules of wearing face masks and maintain social distancing. It was also said , that the Mumbai police will be keeping a watch though drones.
Bengaluru has issued prohibitory orders from 12 pm (noon) today. Large gatherings in Chennai have been banned. The popular beaches like Marina and Elliots have been shut. The bars and hotels have been ordered to close by 10 pm. Celebrations in Puducherry have been permitted with certain rules. There is 1 new case of the mutant virus in Chennai and the state government has deployed 10,000 police personnel to keep a vigilant eye for violation of rules. The number of active cases in Chennai is 8615 currently.
In Bengal people have been requested to celebrate peacefully, and no extra measures or restrictions have been put in place. There are no special restrictions in Chandigarh either. In Punjab there will be a night curfew. From January 1st however, it will be lifted with the request by the CM to the people to maintain appropriate behaviour. The night curfew starts from 10 pm of the 31st December and will be in effect till 5 am of January 1st 2021.All outdoor venues, restaurants, bars and other places of social gathering will be closed by 9.30 pm today. There is a cap of 100 people for indoor venues and 250 people for outdoor venues till tonight.
India has registered a total of 1.02 crore Coronavirus infections so far.
