UP govt refuses to follow Allahabad High Court's order to impose lockdown in 5 cities

The state said it would not implement the order, the High Court noted.

The government's reason for not following the order as reported is that the pandemic had "virtually incapacitated our medical infrastructure... specially in cities like Prayagraj, Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur and Gorakhpur."

The court registered disapproval of the government's handling of the pandemic and issued a series of orders, including the suspension and closure of all religious activities and establishments, and the shut down of all shopping malls.

This comes as Uttar Pradesh recorded over 30,000 new cases between Sunday and Monday mornings taking its active caseload to over 1.91 lakh.

The court also ordered all educational institutions across the entire state to shut down as well.

All offices, whether government or private, were to be closed too, with exceptions for financial institutions, establishments offering medical or health services, industrial and scientific establishments, and those providing essential services such as municipal functions and public transport.

The High Court also suspended all social functions and gatherings, including those for marriage functions, for the duration of the lockdown except for the "already fixed wedding".