44 out of 53 new coronavirus cases in Lucknow belong to Tablighi Jamaat
Fifty-three new coronavirus cases have surfaced in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow on Saturday out of which 44 belong to the Tablighi Jamaat. A total of 98 Jamaat members were tested after a 14-day quarantine period out of which 44 now have tested positive for novel coronavirus. All these 44 Jamaat members had undergone quarantine at JRC College in Biketi in Lucknow. However, all of them are not Lucknow residents. While 44 Jamaat members have tested positive, the remaining 9 out of 53 belong to Lucknow. Out of the 9 others, 7 belong to the Kotwali region while 2 are from the Kesarbagh area.
Uttar Pradesh has over 849 confirmed coronavirus cases including 14 deaths while 82 patients have recovered from COVID-19, according to the health ministry's figures released on Saturday morning. Meanwhile, the Yogi government is expected to resume working partially from April 20 as per the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs for the extended lockdown till May 3. Accordingly, government offices will reopen with minimal staff. UP Chief Secretary R.K. Tiwari issued a detailed advisory for offices and industries that will be allowed to start operations in UP, subject to conditions.
These sectors include steel, refineries, cement, chemicals, fertilisers, garments (excluding apparel), foundries, paper, tyre, effluent treatment plants and sugar mills. However, only manufacturing and industrial units will be permitted to function and not their headquarters or administrative offices. Government offices, including health services (including AYUSH), will start functioning with minimum staff.
"In the first phase, units should work with a minimum staff. In no case they would be allowed to function with over 50 per cent of the total workforce. The permission is being granted only to units and not to their administrative offices. The permission will not be applicable to units located in the hotpots," the government spokesman said.
Dispensaries, chemists, pharmacies, all kinds of medicine shops, including Jan Aushadhi Kendras, medical equipment shops, veterinary hospitals, dispensaries, clinics, pathology labs, and sale and supply of vaccine and medicine will be allowed. Authorised private establishments, which support the provisioning of essential services, or efforts for containment of Covid-19, including home care providers, diagnostics, and supply chain firms serving hospitals will also start functioning from April 20.
Petrol pumps, gas agencies and LPG outlets will also be open from April 20.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, after reviewing the state's economic situation, has directed Industries Minister Satish Mahana and MSME Minister Siddhartha Nath Singh to establish contact with ambassadors of various countries to attract investments to state.
(With inputs from PTI)
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