Centre suggests night curfews in Kerala, Maharashtra amid COVID cases surge
Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla asked both Kerala and Maharashtra governments to impose night curfew in areas of high positivity and curb mass gatherings during the festive season.
FollowWith India witnessing rise in Covid-19 cases again, the Centre has asked Kerala and Maharashtra governments to consider night curfews in areas with high numbers.
India has been reporting more than 40,000 new infections for the past two days.
Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla asked both Kerala and Maharashtra governments to impose night curfew in areas of high positivity and curb mass gatherings during the festive season.
“Union Home Secretary… observed that more efforts would be required to arrest the increase in infections. This would require adequate intervention in geographical areas having higher infection, through measures such as contact tracing, vaccination drives and Covid appropriate behaviour. He also suggested that the state governments should explore the possibility of placing night curfew in areas of high positivity,” a statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said.
According to MHA, the state governments were advised that they should continue with their vaccination programmes and in case they required more vaccines, the same would be provided to the extent possible.
Kerala recorded 31,445 cases and Maharashtra 5,031 of the 46,164 fresh coronavirus cases recorded in the country on Thursday morning.
Bhalla further suggested stepping up contact tracing, vaccination drives and Covid appropriate behaviour in geographical areas having higher infection.
Kerala has accounted for nearly 60% of the new cases in the past week and more than half of the total active cases, followed by 16% in Maharashtra.
"More efforts would be required to arrest the increase in infections," the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement on Thursday after Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla chaired a virtual meeting with government officials from the two states.
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