As COVID-19 cases show a marked spike in certain cities in Uttar Pradesh, the Allahabad High Court has directed that strict vigil be maintained for the next 30 days.
The six districts in the state which have shown a definite spike in number of cases are Prayagraj, Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Kanpur and Gautam Buddh Nahar (NOIDA).
The court has directed that all crowded places be manned by drones 24 hours a day to identify those who are not wearing masks and not maintaining social distancing. Such intensive monitoring is necessary for the next 30 days. The court has also directed that edible items not be sold in the open—a directive which will be in place for the next six weeks.
The state already has in place a system of implementing fines of Rs 500 if one is found without a mask but that had not been implemented strictly going by the number of mask-less shoppers seen in markets during the just concluded festivities.
The court has asked for a report on the status of COVID-19 management on December 3.
The court was also apprised by Nivedita Gupta, Scientist at the Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases Division of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) that a vaccine for the viral infection would be available soon.
The bench, comprising Justice Siddhartha Varma and Justice Ajit Kumar, passed the order after taking suo moto cognizance of the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
The state government has also imposed the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) in the state which means that government employees will not be able to strike work for six months.
The organisations covered under the order include ‘any public service in connection with the affairs of the State of Uttar Pradesh’ and ‘any service under a corporation owned or controlled by the State Government and any service under a local authority’.