UP ADG speaks on weekend lockdown; crackdown on black marketing of oxygen & Remdesivir

Uttar Pradesh Government has imposed a weekend curfew which is to be in effect from 8 PM from Friday to 7 am on Monday. Speaking on the development, Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Law and Order, Prashant Kumar has stated that essential services including the state-wide COVID-19 vaccinations will continue during the weekend lockdown. The lockdown has been imposed to break the chain of the Coronavirus, said Kumar.

"There are around 86,500 containment zones in UP. More than 50,000 loud hailers and mobile loudspeakers are being used to communicate and spread awareness over COVID-19 and to follow COVID appropriate behaviour. Action will be taken against those still not adhering to the protocols. There will be a crackdown on those involved in black marketing of oxygen or other essential supplies. And they will be charged under the Gangsters Act as well as National Security Act. Till now, 29 have been arrested relating to black marketing. 668 Remdesivir, 185 oxygen cylinders and Rs 9,17660 cash have been recovered from them. I appeal to everyone to cooperate with the frontline workers," Prashant Kumar said in a video message posted by the UP Police on Twitter.

Uttar Pradesh records 37,238 COVID-19 cases

Uttar Pradesh on Friday recorded its highest single-day spike 37,238 COVID-19 cases taking the tally to over 10 lakhs while 196 fatalities took the death toll to 10,737. The state presently has 2,73,653 active cases, of which over 2.18 lakh are in-home isolation and as many as 22,566 patients recovered from the disease in the state in a span of 24 hours, taking the total count of recoveries to 7,28,980.

Speaking on the shortage of oxygen, Additional Chief Secretary, Information, Navneet Sehgal said a control room has been set up to monitor the situation and orders have been issued by the chief minister to install oxygen plants in all the hospitals. He also added that 1,500 oxygen concentrators have also been ordered by the state government. Also, CM Yogi Adityanath has announced that the state government will provide free COVID-19 vaccination for all adults in the state from May 1 onwards.

India on Friday breached its previous single-day high yet again by clocking 3,32,730 new cases and 2,263 fatalities taking the cumulative total of COVID-19 infections and deaths to 1,62,63,695 and 1,86,920 respectively. The active cases have increased to 24,28,616 comprising 14.93 percent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has further dropped to 83.92 percent.