Rajasthan Imposes Night Curfew; Maharashtra Warns Of Lockdown

The Rajasthan government on Saturday 21st November imposed night curfew, in eight cities. While the Maharashtra government is pondering on another lockdown.

The Rajasthan government on Saturday 21st November imposed night curfew, between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., in eight cities Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Bikaner, Udaipur, Ajmer, Alwar and Bhilwara. The penalty for not wearing a face mask at public places was raised from ?200 to ?500, after a record 3,007 positive cases were detected on a single day across Rajasthan. Markets, restaurants, shopping malls etc. in the urban areas of these 8 cities will be allowed to remain open till 7 p.m. The decisions were taken at an urgent meeting of the Ministers as it was found that the virus infection was spreading fast during the festive season and the cold weather conditions.

Senior officers of the Medical & Health Department informed the meeting that the gatherings during Deepavali, recent municipal elections and wedding ceremonies had contributed to the increase in positive cases. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said that another lockdown may be imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19 amid a spike in cases after the festive season. "There was a huge crowd during the Diwali period. We are speaking to relevant departments. We will review the situation for the next 8-10 days and then a decision will be taken about the lockdown.”

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray warned that the second wave of Covid-19 could hit the state like a tsunami if people fail to follow safety guidelines. "We are standing at a dangerous turn. We have to decide whether we want to go for a lockdown or follow all the mandatory Covid-19 safety protocols.” The Maharashtra state government allowed schools to reopen from 23rd November onwards for class 9 to 12. However, reopening of schools in Mumbai has been postponed until 31st December amid a rise in coronavirus cases.

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