A deserted flyover in Kolkata. (AFP Photo)
NEW DELHI/NAGPUR/KOLKATA: More high-risk areas were brought under lockdown on Saturday for varying periods, including weekends, by states in a bid to check the rapid rise in Covid-19 cases in India.
Over a dozen states have so far opted for such selective lockdown citing the need to revive economic activities and at the same time reduce the risk of spread of infection, though Bihar and Manipur have imposed a state-wide shutdown from July 16 and July 23 respectively.
In Madhya Pradesh, where Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tested positive for coronavirus and was admitted to a hospital, a 10-day lockdown has been imposed in state capital Bhopal after a spike in cases. The state has been observing total shutdown on Sundays.
A complete lockdown till Monday morning was imposed in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, which too has been enforcing shutdown every Sunday.
Tamil Nadu on Saturday breached the grim milestone of two lakh coronavirus cases with the biggest daily spike of 6,988 fresh infections, pushing the tally to 2,06,737, according to state officials.
While Uttar Pradesh observed another weekend lockdown, similar curbs were imposed for the second time this month in Uttarakhand’s four districts – Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar dist