Weekend lockdown curbs eased in Noida, Ghaziabad: Here's all you need to know

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has also directed officials to ensure COVID protocols are followed everywhere and there should not be any unnecessary congregation of people anywhere.

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New Delhi: In view of improving COVID-19 situation in the state, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday (August 11) introduced partial relaxations in the two-day weeekly closure of shops and business establishments. Earlier in the day, CM Yogi Adityanath asked the home department to present detailed guidelines in this regard.

As per the latest guidelines issued by the government on Wednesday, the curfew will no longer be enforced in the state on Saturdays. However, the COVID restrictions will remain in place on Sundays and activities will be allowed between 6 am to 10 pm while adhering to COVID protocols. 

At present, markets, shops and business establishments are allowed to open from 6 AM to 10 PM from Monday to Friday, while Saturday and Sunday are the weekly closure days.

However, the Chief Minister now wants partial relaxation in the two-day weekly closure of shops and markets.

"Movement of people allowed from 6 am-10 pm from Mondays to Saturdays, with effect from 14th August. People will mandatorily need to wear masks, observe social distancing & use sanitizer. Sunday lockdown/Corona Curfew will continue,'' according to an order issued by Awanish K Awasthi, Additional Chief Secretary,  Home.

There has been a marked improvement in the pandemic situation as 12 districts have no active COVID cases as of now. Districts with no active cases include Aligarh, Amethi, Chitrakoot, Etah, Firozabad, Gonda, Hathras, Kasganj, Pilibhit, Pratapgarh, Shamli and Sonbhadra while the recovery rate stands at 98.6 per cent.

On Tuesday, 59 of 75 districts did not report even a single fresh COVID case whereas, in the remaining 16 districts, the number of new cases was less than 10. The state government has also allowed secondary, higher, technical and vocational educational institutions to reopen after Independence Day with 50 per cent attendance.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked the officials to organise vaccination camps on the premises of universities, schools and colleges for students above 18 years of age.

CM Yogi also said that the process of new admissions should be started from classes 6 to 8. Assessing the situation, teaching-learning can be started in these schools from September 1.

(With IANS inputs)