As curfew eases, Yogi asks cops to be on vigil

As curfew restrictions are being further relaxed from Monday in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked the police to step up patrolling and not let crowds gather in large numbers.

As per the relaxation, shops can reopen from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. but weekend closure will continue to be observed on Saturdays and Sundays.

Various activities that are being allowed, include the opening of markets outside the containment zones, full attendance in government offices, opening of eateries with 50 per cent capacity and malls with strict Covid protocols.

A maximum of 50 people will be allowed at weddings and only 50 people will be allowed in a religious place at a time, depending on the size of the premises.


The Chief Minister also said a state-level expert committee on Covid-19 had prepared a study report on the possible third wave of the pandemic.

All districts should make the necessary preparations in view of the analysis and recommendations of the experts, he said.

He also said awareness should be raised to make people stick to Covid appropriate behaviour to curtail the spread of the pandemic.


According to the government spokesperson, the Chief Minister said, "The state with a population of 25 crore could control the pandemic because of better teamwork. Now, most of the districts are not reporting any fresh Covid cases.

In anticipation of the third wave of the pandemic, all necessary safety arrangements should be made in advance. "UP has proved that be it the Covid-19 pandemic or any other challenge, if efforts are done with the spirit of collective endeavour and responsibly, then it does not take time to achieve positive results," he said.

Once the Central government's scheme of supplying free vaccines to the states for vaccinating the 18+ age group rolls out from Monday, the state's vaccination process will further speed up, he said.


"So far, the state has administered a total of 2.56 crore doses of the (Covid-19) vaccine. Among them, 40.23 lakh people in the state got both their doses while 1.47 lakh doses were administered to the youth," he said.-IANS