Delhi imposes night curfew from 11pm to 6am to check COVID-19 spread

No New Year celebrations, congregations, gatherings will be allowed during the night curfew. The restrictions will be in place from 2300 hours of December 31 to 0600 hours of January 01 and also from 2300 hours of January 01 to 0600 hours of January 02, DDMA said in a statement issued late Wednesday.

During the two-day night curfew, not more than five persons will be allowed to assemble at a public place, the statement added.

"A detailed assessment of the situation in Delhi has been made and considering the threat posed by the mutant UK strain of COVID-19 virus and after observing the local incidents of Covid-19 pandemic in Delhi, it is apprehended that gatherings, congregations, and public celebrations of New Year pose a considerable threat of the spread of the virus and may cause a setback to the appreciable gains made in the suppression of chain of transmission of COVID-19 cases in Delhi," the statement read.

However, there shall be no restrictions on interstate and intrastate movement of persons and goods during the curfew period.

On Wednesday, the national capital reported 677 fresh cases of COVID-19, taking the total number of infections to 624,000.

Besides, 21 more people also succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours, pushing the death toll to 10,523.

Till Wednesday, the Union Health Ministry said, 20 UK returnees were detected with the new COVID strain, which was first found in Britain. Of these, eight have been registered by a Delhi lab.