In light of the rapid regular rise in coronavirus incidents, the Uttar Pradesh government on Monday evening declined to obey Allahabad High Court orders to close five cities – Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Kanpur, and Gorakhpur – from tonight until April 26.
The state said it would not carry out the order, which the court said was necessary because the pandemic had “virtually incapacitated our medical infrastructure… especially in cities like Prayagraj, Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur, and Gorakhpur.”
The court released a number of rulings, including the suspension and closing of all religious practises and institutions, as well as the closure of all shopping centres, in response to the state’s handling of the pandemic – UP reported a staggering 30,000+ new cases in 24 hours this morning.
The court has required that all educational establishments in the state be closed down.
Financial institutions, businesses delivering medical or health services, industrial and science enterprises, and those providing vital services such as municipal functions and public transportation were all to be closed, with the exception of financial institutions, businesses offering medical or health services, industrial and scientific establishments, and those providing essential services such as municipal functions and public transportation.
For the length of the lockdown, the High Court has halted all social events and meetings, including wedding receptions.
It said exceptions could be made for “already fixed marriages” pending approval from the concerned District Magistrate, whose decision would be focused on the “current COVID-19 condition” in the region. Attendance would be limited to 25 persons in these situations, as well as all others that could be allowed.
The court stated that any other public movement on the roads would be “limited,” with only people who are having medical emergencies being able to drive.
In this second Covid wave, Uttar Pradesh is one of the worst-affected states; the state recorded over 30,000 new cases this morning, bringing the total number of active cases to over 1.91 lakh.
Only Maharashtra has been struck harder than Uttar Pradesh, with over 6.7 lakh active cases.
