Night curfew in Delhi till April 30
New Delhi: In view of rising COVID-19 cases in Delhi, the Arvind Kejriwal government on Tuesday imposed seven hours of night curfew with immediate effect, with an exemption for essential, medical and healthcare services along with certain professions providing essential services.
As many as 5,100 new cases were reported on Tuesday with the positivity rate at 4.93 per cent. 17 fresh deaths have also been logged.
The total number of cases in Delhi reached around 6.85 lakh with 11,113 total deaths being registered along with 17,332 active cases.
The decision was taken after the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) reviewed the COVID-19 situation in the city. The DDMA order for curfew from 10 pm to 5 am will continue till April 30.
Significantly, the Chief Minister's Office had been sitting on a proposal to impose night curfew from relevant senior officials, that was sent a few days ago in light of the surging cases. Officials in the know said the Delhi Police had reported much laxity in the way restaurants, nightclubs and other establishments remained open at night, throwing caution to the wind.
As per the new instructions for partial lockdown, pregnant women and those with medical conditions have been exempted from the nightly lockdown along with anyone who is on their way for a Covid vaccine appointment, provided they produce their valid registration slip.
In addition to this, officials working in Central or Delhi government entities, sanitation, medical, healthcare services, and a list of other services will be exempted from the night curfew on the production of a valid identity card.
Moreover, travellers coming in or going out of the Capital will need to produce valid tickets. And for people associated with the list of private professions that ensure the delivery of essential services such as food, groceries, mediapersons, petrol pump attendants, an e-pass is required.
Public transport such as Delhi Metro, DTC and cluster buses, autos and taxis will be allowed to ply within the stipulated time for transportation of only exempted categories of people during night curfew, said the order.
The e-pass can be in either soft or hard copy and can be procured from the Delhi government website at www.delhi.gov.in.
Furthermore, the Delhi Police have also set up a portal on their website for e-passes under relevant categories.
According to the order issued by the Chief Secretary and chairperson of the executive body of DDMA, a sudden increase in COVID-19 cases in the recent past along with a high positivity rate has been observed in the national Capital.
"It is felt that night curfew needs to be imposed in the NCT (National Capital Territory) of Delhi from 10 pm to 5 am, except for essential activities and services, as an emergency measure for the wellbeing and safety of people," the order stated.
All District Magistrates and Deputy Commissioners of Police, as well as authorities concerned, will ensure strict compliance with the DDMA order. Enforcement authorities are required to note that these restrictions fundamentally relate to the movement of people and not to that of essential goods and services, the order stated, adding violation of curfew restrictions will be dealt with under the relevant section of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and Section 188 of the IPC and other applicable laws.
