Nagpur braces for weeklong Covid lockdown
NAGPUR: With Covid-19 cases continuing to surge, restrictions on movement of people and non-essential shops and activities are back for a week starting Monday in the city and Kamptee, Hingna, Koradi and nearby places.
For the first time in year-long pandemic, only standalone essential shops like kirana, vegetables, fruits, chicken, mutton, fish etc shops will be allowed to function.
The restrictions have revived the memories of three-month full lockdown that was enforced from March third week to first week of June last year.
Activists TH Naidu and Narayan Ahuja said, “NMC move seems without any proper study. Crowding will happen if only one shop remains open in one area. Crowd will be distributed if several shops are available, subject to safe distance in one area.
There are various such lacunae in latest restrictions. Construction activities are allowed but hardware shops are shut. Workers engaged in construction activities do not have any I-card to prove they are working at a particular site.”
The district administration and civic body have not done anything for the distribution of food or ration kits to the poor that was ensured during the full lockdown. Also, NGOs have been refused permission to distribute food to needy people.
Collector Ravindra Thakare in his order imposed restriction on programmes likely to cause crowding even at home except for funerals that can go on with not more than 20 people attending.
Intimate zone office before organising functions at home, says civic chief Already, many activities like educational institutions, weekly markets, marriages in lawns, halls etc have been restricted since February 23.
Restrictions could be continued till March end if cases do not decline considering the Holi festival falls on March 29. Guardian minister Nitin Raut on Sunday said, “Further decision on lockdown depends upon the decline in cases of coronavirus.”
Municipal commissioner Radhakrishnan B on Sunday imposed restrictions on running essential shops in markets and side-by side. “More than one shop of these essential shops will not be allowed at one place,” he said.
