Maharashtra orders night curfew in areas from Dec 22-Jan 5, institutional quarantine for fliers — check details

Maharashtra Night Curfew: Maharashtra government order states that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray held a meeting in the light of the Coronavirus situation in the UK where it was decided that a night curfew will be imposed in municipal corporation areas between 11 and 6 am from December 22 to January 5 as a precautionary measure.(File image)

Maharashtra Night Curfew: Night curfew between 11 pm to 6 am will be clamped in all municipal corporations of Maharashtra from December 22, 2020, to January 5, 2021, the Maharashtra government announced on Monday as concerns rose over the emergence of a new coronavirus strain in the United Kingdom.

Also, the state government has decided that passengers arriving in Maharashtra from the countries worst-hit by COVID-19 in Europe and West Asia will be put in institutional quarantine for 14 days. Passengers coming to Maharashtra from other countries will be home quarantined, the Maharashtra government order added.

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As per the state government these measures are being taken to counter the spread of Covid-19 even as news of a new coronavirus strain spreading in the United Kingdom has led to fear among people and administrators.

The official statement released by the Maharashtra government states that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray held a meeting in the light of the Coronavirus situation in the UK. In the meeting it was decided that a night curfew will be imposed in municipal corporation areas between 11 and 6 am from December 22 to January 5 as a precautionary measure.

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Maharashtra reported 2,234 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, taking the tally of total Covid-19 cases in state to 18,99,352. The total death toll rose to 48,801 with 55 deaths recorded, the state health department said.

India and several European countries, including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Italy banned flights from the UK as the British government issued a warning regarding a potent new strain of the Coronavirus that was “out of control”. The British government has imposed stringent stay-at-home lockdown measure from Sunday thereby practically cancelling Christmas festivities and New Year celebrations across the isles.

New coronavirus strain in the UK: Govt is alert, no need to panic, says Harsh Vardhan

The Union Health Ministry on Monday called an urgent meeting of its Joint Monitoring Group to discuss this new Coronavirus strain which has led to a surge in the infection rate in the UK. Post this meeting Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that the government is fully alert and there is no need to panic.