MP withdraws Sunday curfew; CM says no new COVID-19 cases in 35 districts

Bhopal: Citing improvements in the coronavirus situation in the state, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday announced that the lockdown on Sundays are being withdrawn with immediate effect.

However, the night curfew will continue across Madhya Pradesh for now.

“The coronavirus pandemic is under control in Madhya Pradesh. Not even one positive case has been reported in 35 districts and the active caseload stands below 1,000. The positivity rate has dropped to 0.06%. In this situation, it is not justified to impose a Corona Curfew on Sunday. So we are withdrawing it immediately. The night curfew will continue as before,” the Chief Minister’s Office informed on social media platform Twitter.

The new directive further said that shops can remain open on Sunday with proper Covid-19 protocols in place.

“Shops can reopen on Sundays with Covid protocols and Covid-appropriate behaviour. The work of making arrangements in hospitals for the third wave is going on continuously. Madhya Pradesh has again set a record in vaccination today. This campaign will continue continuously,” the CMO said.

The Chief Minister appealed to citizens to continue to comply with appropriate behaviour as the pandemic is just under control but has not been completely eradicated.

“There is an appeal to all of you. The coronavirus pandemic is under control but not completely eradicated. So, don’t be restless. Wear mask and follow Covid-compliant behavior,” the CM said.

The state on Saturday reported that eight persons in the state have been detected with the new Delta Plus strain of the Covid-19 virus.

Furthermore, two people who died in May due to the virus were found to be infected with the Delta Plus variant, the state health department revealed.

“At least eight cases of the Delta Plus variant of coronavirus have been brought to our notice so far. Our constant focus is to ramp up testing,” Sarang said, according to news agency PTI.