New Delhi: As fears regarding the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic continue unabated, several state governments have resumed strict restrictions to control the spread of the virus ahead of the festive season as a precautionary measure.
The move comes after the Center has asked states to revise their guidelines to ensure that necessary restrictions are put in place on public gatherings to avoid crowding.
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Kerala:
Kerala is currently the worst affected state by the Kovid-19 pandemic. The Kerala government has issued an order saying that strict action will be taken against those who violate the quarantine rules. The order said that the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, the Kerala State Epidemic Act and other relevant legal provisions would be implemented.
The state government had last month announced a re-lockdown on Sunday following a spike in the Covid-19 daily caseload since the Onam festival on August 23.
The state has been reporting over 29,000 fresh Covid cases for the past three days even after the government banned mass gatherings ahead of festivals like Muharram and Onam.
Karnataka:
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai-led government had earlier on Monday made week-long institutional quarantine mandatory for people coming from Kerala.
Besides this, the state government has also made testing mandatory on the seventh day, even if people have been vaccinated and have a negative RT-PCR test.
Night curfew has been relaxed in Kodagu, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts besides other districts. In view of the high caseload in Kerala, it was decided that no relaxation will be given in the districts near its borders.
Weddings and other events are permitted in halls with 50 percent occupancy, with a maximum limit of 400 guests.
Maharashtra:
Maharashtra’s weekly positivity rate increased marginally from 2.48 per cent to 2.6 per cent in the week between August 25 and September 1 as compared to the week between August 18 and 24.
With districts like Mumbai, Thane and Pune registering the highest growth, health experts attribute the rise in Covid-19 cases to the easing of the lockdown starting from the second week of August.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led government has issued new rules for international passengers flying into Mumbai and other airports in Maharashtra to ensure that there is no further spread of Covid-19.
As per the order, all international passengers who have received both the doses of the COVID-19 vaccine should not be older than 72 hours to test negative for RT-PCR.
Tamil Nadu:
Chief Minister MK Stalin had earlier on Monday announced the extension of the COVID restrictions imposed in the state till September 15. As per the order of the state government, the beaches in Tamil Nadu cannot be accessed by people on Sundays. Also, they will not be allowed to enter the places of worship on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Religious gatherings and events will be banned.
The DMK government in Tamil Nadu has also reopened educational institutions from September 1. The state reported 1,568 new COVID cases, 1,657 recoveries and 19 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Assam:
As per the directive issued earlier on Wednesday by the Health Department of Assam, all COVID-19 double immunized passengers are exempted from RT-PCR tests on arrival at airports, railways and road border points.
Travelers who have been vaccinated with a single dose or have no vaccination, and who are symptomatic, even with two doses of vaccines, must undergo mandatory RT-PCR testing at their own expense on arrival in the State Will happen.
People having double dose of vaccine were required to undergo RT-PCR test on arrival or submit negative report of test done within 72 hours from arrival as per earlier order.
Odisha:
As per the new COVID-19 guidelines announced by the state government, there is no weekend shutdown across Odisha now.
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However, night curfew continues in urban areas from 10 pm to 5 am. The new guidelines will be applicable from September 1 to October 1.
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