Lockdown announced in Lucknow, Kanpur & 4 other UP districts till April 26 to curb COVID-19 surge

Update: The state government has decided against it and there will be NO LOCKDOWN in Lucknow and the other 5 districts.

As per the orders of the Allahabad High Court, an absolute lockdown will be observed in Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Kanpur and Gorakhpur till April 26, given the swelling COVID-19 cases in the state. The movement of essential services will be allowed throughout the course of the lockdown. Previously, the administration had issued directives for the implementation of a night curfew in Lucknow from 8 PM to 7 AM and the authorities had also enforced Section 144, to tackle the surge in corona infections.

Overview of the Lockdown

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1. All establishments, be it government or private, except financial institutions and financial departments, medical and health services, industrial and scientific establishments, essential services including municipal functions, and public transport, shall remain closed till 26th April. The judiciary will, however, function on its own discretion

2. All shopping complexes and malls shall remain closed

3. All grocery shops and other commercial shops excluding medical shops, with more than three workers shall remain closed

4. All hotels, restaurants, even the small eating points and so on, shall remain closed

5. All institutions related to education, other disciplines and activities be it government, semi-government or private shall remain closed

6. No social functions and gatherings including marriage functions shall be permitted till 26th April. However, in case of a fixed marriage date, further permission would have to be taken from the District Magistrate of the concerned district. Gatherings would be limited to 25 persons and the district magistrate concerned, shall take a decision after giving due consideration to the prevailing COVID-19 situation

7. All religious establishments and related activities will also remain halted

8. All hawkers including fruits and vegetable, milk and bread vendors, shall go off the road by 11 AM every day

9. Containment zones shall be notified every day in two leading Hindi and English newspapers, having wide circulation in the districts of Prayagraj, Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur Nagar/ Dehat and Gorakhpur

All public movements on roads would remain restricted completely, subject to the above directions. Movements would be only allowed in case of medical help and emergencies. In addition to these directions, the Allahabad HC has also advised the state government to ramp up the current vaccination programme.