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As the number of deaths and fresh cases touched a record number in Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday announced to increase the weekend curfew by 24 hours as it will now commence from 2000 hrs of Friday and will end at 0700 hours on Tuesday.
Earlier, the curfew was from Friday night to Monday morning. The decision was taken during the routine Team 11 meeting chaired by chief minister here on Thursday.
CM said despite more and more people getting cured we have to be more vigilant.  Corona curfew is very useful in reducing infection prevalence and it will be implemented across the state.
He said during the weekend curfew only essential services will operate.  Industrial activities and vaccination work will also continue during this period. Taking cognisance of the current covid situation in the state, CM Yogi instructed the concerned authorities to increase the number of ICU and HCU beds in all the high-load districts with immediate effect, so that no person is deprived of complete medical aid. The beds in all districts shall be equipped with oxygen facilities.
In addition to this, special instructions have been issued to increase as many as 1,500 to 2,000 beds in the state capital in the coming week.
“Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) in collaboration with the state government will set up a 255-bed L-2/L-3 temporary covid hospital at the Haj House, for which the preparations are being carried out on a war-footing,” the CM was informed in the meeting.
“UP has an excellent experience of Covid management and our policies have even received global acclaim. Our victory in this battle of COVID-19 is certain. Every citizen of the state has an important role in it. Compliance with the COVID protocol is in everyone's interest. Masks, sanitisation and physical distancing have to be included in our lifestyle,” said CM.
To strengthen the existing health infrastructure and to ensure smooth and timely admission of critical Covid patients, the CM has instructed that sufficient number of ICU beds should be made available in districts with a high number of active Covid cases that include Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Kanpur Nagar, Gorakhpur, Meerut and Jhansi.
To bolster efforts to contain the pandemic,  two community health centres (CHCs) in each district have been earmarked for Covid treatment. With this, the CM also stressed to expand and promote teleconsultation as OPD services are temporarily suspended in the midst of the raging pandemic. The CM also asked the Chief Minister’s office, Chief Secretary’s office, Additional Chief Secretary (health) and Principal Secretary (medical education) to regularly monitor the arrangements.
“All facilities and needs of the people in home isolation should be taken care of and medical kits containing all types of essential medicines should be made available to them,” CM said.
It is pertinent to mention that, a total of 866 beds have been increased in just a span of a week in over 25 state-run medical colleges and 33 private medical colleges that have been operating as L-2 and L-3 Covid hospitals. Out of these 866 beds, 199 are ICU beds.