Assam re-imposes night curfew to prevent Omicron spread, relaxations for New Year celebration

A new SOP issued by ASDMA said the night curfew would be in force between 11.30 pm and 6 am and would be effective from Sunday night

The Assam government decided to re-impose a night curfew from Sunday in view of the fear of the Omicron variant of coronavirus but the same would not be in force on the night of December 31 for the New Year celebrations.

A new SOP issued by Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) on Saturday said the night curfew would be in force between 11.30 pm and 6 am and would be effective from Sunday night.

"All workplaces, business/commercial establishments, dine-in restaurants, hotels, dhabas and other eateries, takeaway of food items from restaurants/dhabas and other eateries, opening sale counters, showrooms, etc, of cold storages and warehouses, shops dealing with groceries, fruits and vegetables, dairy and milk booths, will remain open till 10.30 pm," the ASDMA said in a statement.

Hours before the new SOP was released, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told reporters that the curfew would be relaxed on the night of December 31 in order to allow people to celebrate and welcome the new year without any restriction.

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The new SOP made wearing masks compulsory in public places and prohibited spitting in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus. It said a fine of Rs 1,000 would be imposed on those violating the directive.

At present, Assam has 859 active Covid-19 cases, with 93 new cases and two deaths on Friday. Of the new cases, 47 were from Kamrup Metro (Guwahati) district.

The state, however, has not yet reported any cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus infection. Some healthcare activists, however, questioned the logic behind the government's decision to relax the New Year celebrations from the purview of the curfew saying the crowd in the New Year celebrations brings the threat of infection.

The new SOP said religious places would be allowed to operate with 60 fully vaccinated persons per hour for iconic places and 40 fully vaccinated persons per hour for other religious places. Cinema halls will continue to operate with 50 per cent of seating capacity of fully vaccinated viewers and observance of Covid-19 appropriate behaviour.

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