COVID-19 curbs in few districts of Uttar Pradesh to be relaxed from June 1

The Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday announced some relaxation in coronavirus disease (Covid-19) curbs in the state from June 1. An order by the state government said that economic activities will be allowed in zones (or districts) with less than 600 active cases from Tuesday.The Covid curfew will, however, continue to persist during the weekend, said Chief Secretary. Essential services like vaccination, industrial activities, medical work etc. will continue uninterrupted. Similarly, night curfew from 7 pm to 7 am will also remain until further notice. Speaking at a press conference, chief minister Yogi Adityanth added, "When active cases will come under 600 the curfew will end automatically. We've eased restrictions in 55 districts from 7 am to 7 pm."

The curfew was initially enforced till 17 May. Last week, the state government extended the partial coronavirus curfew till 7 am of 24 May. Until the relaxation of the orders, all shops and establishments are required to remain closed in containment zones. Earlier, the state health minster on Saturday hinted at a gradual relaxation of lockdown restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the deadly virus. However, no relaxation has been given in 20 districts, including state capital Lucknow, which continues to report a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases. The other districts where restrictions will continue are: Meerut, Saharanpur, Varanasi, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Muzaffarnagar, Bareilly, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Bulandshahr, Jhansi, Prayagraj, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sonbhadra, Jaunpur, Bagpat, Moradabad, Ghazipur, Bijnore and Deoria. The state government had said last week that Uttar Pradesh has seen a sharp decline in the number of active cases of Covid-19 in less than one month.