The Delhi Governed has announced a weekend curfew in the national capital in view of the rapid upsurge in Covid-19 cases over the past few weeks. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addressed the media regarding this, and an official announcement came in after Arvind Kejriwal’s meeting with Delhi LG Anil Baijal.
As per the new guidelines, there will be a weekend curfew on the movement of individuals in the NCT of Delhi will start from 10:00 pm on 16.04.2021 (Friday) to 05:00 am on 19.04.2021 (Monday). Essential services shall be exempted during such time, and curfew passes will be issued for marriages that have already been planned or any other emergencies of such kind.
In addition to this, Auditoriums, gyms, malls, spas, etc., will remain closed, and cinema halls can function with 30% capacity. The order also states that only one weekly market per municipal zone will be permitted to open per day.
Certain categories of individuals such as officials of the Government, judicial officers, private medical personnel such as doctors and nursing staff, pregnant women and patients, and diplomats will, however, be exempted from the restriction of movement during curfew.
Those traveling to take COVID-vaccinations will also be allowed to do so. Similarly, during weekend curfew, the movement of persons for marriage-related gatherings up to 50 persons and funeral/ last rites-related gatherings up to 20 persons will continue to be allowed.
During the briefing, the Delhi CM also informed that there is no shortage of beds in Delhi hospitals. There are more than 5000 beds available. These restrictions are necessary for the general public to prevent the virus from spreading and to bring the pandemic under control.
Those failing to follow the guidelines will be liable punished under the relevant provisions of Section 51 to 60 of Disaster Management Act, 2005, Section 188 of IPC, and other applicable laws, as stated in the official order.