Andhra Pradesh imposes night curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. as the number of new COVID-19 cases sees a rise

People waiting in a queue to take the COVID-19 vaccine in Visakhapatnam on January 6.

Andhra Pradesh became the latest State to impose a night curfew in view of the rising COVID-19 cases. The night curfew, between 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., will start from January 8.

In addition to the night curfew, the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy government has also mandated that all public places, including cinema theatres, restaurants, government offices and bars, will function at 50 per cent capacity.

The government’s measures come in the wake of the increasing number of new COVID-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh. In the 24-hour period ending 4.50 p.m. on January 7, the State recorded 706 new cases, the highest single-day spike in over two months. The State tested 37,849 samples in the same period and its positivity rate now stands at 1.64 per cent. The number of COVID-19 active cases in the State is now 2,972. Andhra Pradesh’s cumulative cases since the beginning of the pandemic now stands at 20,79,763, with 20,62,290 cumulative recoveries and 14,501 fatalities.

While Chittoor district with 96 cases recorded the highest number of fresh infections, Kurnool district reported the lowest number with six cases. The number of new cases in the other districts were: 89 in Visakhapatnam; 66 in Krishna; 49 in Guntur; 43 in West Godavari; 43 in East Godavari; 42 in Nellore; 36 in Anantapur; 25 in Vizianagaram; 22 in Srikakulam; 15 in Y.S.R. Kadapa; and 15 in Prakasam. There was one fatality due to COVID-19 in the State on January 7.

Officials from the Andhra Pradesh Department of Health told Frontline that the State had begun preparations to administer the “precautionary” dose, as the Union government chooses to call the booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, to healthcare and frontline workers and citizens above the age of 60 and suffering from comorbidities. The vaccinations will be administered from January 10. K.V.N Chakradhar Babu, Collector, Nellore district, hopes to complete the district’s target of vaccinating around 3.3 lakh persons within three days.

The Collector also disclosed that the district had completed its target of administering the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine to 1,41,851 children in the 15 to 18 years age group. Andhra Pradesh has administered 7,25,36,931 doses of the COVID-199 vaccine as on January 7, of which 4,18,58,438 are of the first dose and 3,06,78,493 second doses.