82 districts under lockdown over Covid-19: What is shut and where

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Updated: Mar 23, 2020 11:36 IST

As the number of Covid-19 positive cases soared in the country, the government put in place stringent measures, locking down districts to check the spread of Sars-CoV-2 virus.

The government has already said that private sector workers in New Delhi must work from home this week unless they are providing an essential service. Most public transport will also be halted.

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The 82 districts, where Covid-19 cases have been reported, are under complete lockdown. The Union Home Ministry said these 82 districts in 22 states and Union Territories are places from where Covid-19 cases have been under reported and are under complete lockdown, but state governments can extend the list of districts as they deem fit.

Here’s a look at what is shut where and what is not:

To carry out basic essential transactions, the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) has asked banks to open only selective branches in areas that have been placed under lockdown.

The association asked the CEO of banks to empower their regional or zonal or circle heads to take appropriate decision in the matter. The association had earlier asked customers to use online and mobile banking channels for making their transactions.

Except Karnataka, private vehicles are allowed in states across the country. Grocery shops, fuel stations, LPG agencies, telecom services, hospitals and pharmacies are open in almost every state.

All schools, colleges, trains, inter-state bus services and offices are closed. Most of the states have also banned dine-in eateries, while some like Maharashtra and Rajasdthan have kept these open. Except Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, local bus services are also banned.

Now, let’s take a look at measures taken by various state governments as part of national lockdown.

Delhi:

Services of Ola and Uber will not be available in Delhi till March 31 amid the lockdown announced by the state government to contain the spread of coronavirus disease Covid-19.

“Uber is complying with all Central and State Government directives related to its services for containing the spread of Coronavirus,” an Uber spokesperson said in response to a query.

An Ola spokesperson said the company “will enable a minimal network of vehicles to support essential services in cities, wherever applicable, as part of this national effort to reduce the contagion of COVID-19”.

The lockdown in Delhi will continue till March 31. The total number of coronavirus cases in the national capital on Sunday increased to 30, said the Union health ministry.

The city’s borders will remain sealed during the lockdown, but essential services related to health, food, water and power supply will continue, and 25 per cent of the DTC buses will run to transport people associated with essential services.

Uttar Pradesh:

Sixteen districts in Uttar Pradesh, including capital Lucknow, have been locked down till Wednesday amid a spurt in Sars-CoV-2 cases.

The districts where the lockdown has been enforced in the first phase are Lucknow, Agra, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Varanasi, Allahabad, Kanpur, Aligarh, Moradabad, Lakhimpur Kheri, Bareilly, Azamgarh, Meerut, Gorakhpur, Saharanpur and Pilibhit.

“I appeal to all the citizens that they should stay indoors and not venture out of their homes. Unnecessary crowding and gathering at public places should be avoided. We are standing at a juncture where even a slight laxity can prove to be harmful,” Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said.

Maharashtra:

The state has seen highest number of Covid-19 patients in the country. Among the steps taken by the state government, all kinds of gatherings and travel are banned.

The police in Pune have passed an order restricting assembly of five or more people in the city to avoid the spread of coronavirus. The order passed under Section 144 of CrPC restricts people to assemble at one place or organise any such event/programme where five or more people’s gathering can be expected.

West Bengal:

The West Bengal government on Sunday announced lockdown in the state, including rural and urban areas, till March 27.

“The state will be on lockdown till March 27 until further orders in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus,” read the order issued by the government.

The state government announced that no public transport including taxis and autorickshaws, except for vehicles going to and from hospitals, airports, railway station, bus terminals/bus stands and good carrying food and essential commodities, will be allowed to be on streets.

Jharkhand:

The Jharkhand government on Sunday announced a lockdown in the state till March 31 in wake of the surge in coronavirus cases in the country, said government officials.

During the lockdown, the movement of all public transport is prohibited and all shops, commercial institutions, offices, factories, godowns, weekly markets will remain closed.

Odisha:

The Odisha government on Sunday suspended all inter-state bus services amid a lockdown imposed to contain the further spread of coronavirus disease Covid-19.

The inter-state bus operation to and from Odisha will remain suspended till further orders, these buses coming from other states will not be allowed to reach their destination in Odisha after 11 am on March 23, said a government order.

Similarly, no inter-state bus will be allowed to operate to other states from Odisha after 11 am on Monday.

Bihar:

The Bihar government on Sunday announced a lockdown till March 31 to prevent the possible spread of Covid-19.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the lockdown is being enforced in all districts, sub-divisional and block headquarters and municipal towns. It came into effect immediately.

Kumar urged people to “extend their full cooperation” to the state government’s campaign to curb the spread of the disease.

Karnataka:

The state government on Sunday announced lockdown of nine districts and the suspension of operations of public transport all across the state.

These nine districts are Bengaluru, Bengaluru rural, Kalburgi, Mysore, Mangalore, Kodagu, Chickballapur, Dharwad and Belagavi. They will remain under lockdown till March 31.

The suspension of public transport all across the state, however, is only in place till Monday, Karnataka home minister Basavaraj Bommai said.

Haryana:

The Haryana government on Sunday ordered lockdown for seven of the state’s 22 districts, including Gurgaon and Faridabad, till March 32 and suspending all public and private transport and various non-essential services there with the positive coronavirus cases reaching 12.

According to a state government notification, issued on Sunday, the lockdown in the seven districts - Gurugaon, Faridabad, Sonipat, Panipat, Jhajjar, Rohtak and Panchkula - was enforced at 9 pm.

Testing has expanded in the country of 1.3 billion people after the number of infected people reached 396 on Sunday.

The World Health Organization has called for “aggressive” action in Southeast Asia, fearing that a major outbreak could cripple the region’s health care systems.