New Delhi, 29 December, 2021: Due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, various state governments have started imposing restrictions to prevent people from gathering at one place.
Delhi has topped the list in the country and has declared ‘Yellow alert’ (level one alert) under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)* due to the rise in Omicron cases. The city has imposed a night curfew from 10 PM to 5 AM. Besides, restaurants, bars, and public transports are instructed to operate at 50% seating capacity. Other states have also imposed restrictions to control the spread of the Omicron variant.
*GRAP is a four-stage colour-coded alert system. The four types of alerts in GRAP are Level-1 (Yellow), Level-2 (Amber), Level-3 (Orange) and Level-4 (Red). The alerts – Yellow, Amber, Orange, and Red – have been arranged in terms of the severity of the pandemic, taking into consideration factors such as:
- positivity rate
- cumulative new positive cases
- average weekly occupancy rate of oxygen beds
Level-1 (Yellow): This is applicable when the positivity rate is more than 0.5% for two consecutive days. This means either 1500 new cases in the last 1 week or patients are admitted to 500 oxygen beds in a week. With this alert, shops in markets and malls dealing with non-essential goods and services will be allowed to open between 10 AM and 8 PM.
Level-2 (Amber) – This is applicable when the positivity rate is more than 1% for two consecutive days, or 3500 new infection cases come within 1 week or patients are admitted to 700 oxygen beds in a week. Shops in markets & malls will witness a further reduction in timings under the ‘Amber’ alert.
Level-3 (Orange)– This is applicable when there is more than 2% positivity rate for two consecutive days or 9000 infection cases come within 1 week or if patients are admitted on 1000 oxygen beds in a week. Only essential services, stand-alone shops, and construction activities with on-site labourers are allowed during the ‘Orange’ alert.
Level-4 (Red)– This will be applicable when there is more than 5% positivity rate for two consecutive days or more than 16000 new infection cases come in a week or if patients are admitted on 3000 oxygen beds. While ‘Red’ is the highest level of alert in terms of severity, most of the activities are stopped with the announcement of an Orange alert.
Omicron 2021: State-wise Restrictions
As of now, India’s Omicron cases tally is currently at 653 across 21 states. In Maharashtra, there are 167 ongoing Omicron cases, 165 in Delhi, 57 in Kerala, 55 in Telangana, 49 in Gujarat, and 46 in Rajasthan.
Following are the curbs imposed by the respective states:
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Maharashtra
The Maharashtra government has prohibited the gathering of more than five people in public places between 9 PM and 6 AM. Restaurants operate at 50% capacity. Mumbai’s civic body has banned New Year celebration programmes in any closed or open space in the city.
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Karnataka
The state has imposed a 10-day night curfew from 10 PM to 5 AM. Besides, the Karnataka government has banned new year celebrations at pubs, restaurants, and hotels. Moreover, the state government has prohibited new year parties and functions in external premises, especially for those celebrating with DJs.
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Kerala
Kerala has banned new year celebrations during the night hours. Pubs, restaurants, bars can operate with 60% seating capacity.
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Madhya Pradesh
The state has imposed a night curfew in the state from 11 PM to 5 AM as a precautionary measure to keep a check on Omicron spread.
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Gujarat
The Gujarat government has extended the night curfew in eight cities by two hours. The curfew would be applicable from 11 PM to 5 AM instead of 1 AM to 5 AM in Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara, Junagadh, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, and Gandhinagar.
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Uttar Pradesh
In view of rising Omicron cases in several cities, the Uttar Pradesh government has also imposed a night curfew from 11 PM to 5 AM.
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Odisha
The Odisha government has decided to impose additional restrictions on new year celebrations until 2 January, 2022. The state has banned night celebrations on new year in hotels, clubs, restaurants, parks, convention halls, and other public places across the state.
