Night curfew in Telangana

OPEN

♦ Hospitals, pharmacy shops, diagnostic labs

♦ Petrol pumps, LPG, CNG outlets

♦ Delivery of all goods through e-commerce

♦ Interstate and intrastate transportation of essential, non-essential goods

♦ Water supply and sanitation

♦ Power generation, transmission, distribution

♦ Cold storage, warehousing services

♦ Private security services

♦ Media houses, internet services, IT & IT-enabled services

♦ Persons coming from airports, railway stations, bus stands on production of valid tickets

♦ All shops and mega shopping malls

CLOSED

♦ Wine shops, bars and restaurants

♦ Cinema theatres

♦ Public transportation, including Metro Rail

♦ Wedding ceremonies, any other events in function halls

Hyderabad: Life in the state came to a halt on Tuesday night as the State Government clamped night curfew across the state between 9 pm and 5 am.

All cinema halls cancelled shows from 6 pm onwards. The management of single screen theatres and multiplexes decided to run only two shows and wind up the business activity by 8 pm every day.

The Telangana Film Exhibitors' Association announced that the managements of the theatres are given freedom to stop film screening completely in view of increasing corona scare. The Metro rail services rescheduled the timings and the last train left the stations at 7.45 pm.

This decision to impose night curfew was taken in view of the direction of the High Court which had asked the government to inform the court about the measures it had taken to contain the spread of Covid-19.

The government in its order issued by Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar said the decision has been taken in tune with the measures suggested by the Ministry of Home Affairs to prevent the spread of Covid-19. As a result, all offices, firms, shops, establishments, restaurants pulled down their shutters around 8.30 pm.

Hospitals, diagnostic labs, pharmacies and those dealing with the supply of essential services like cold storages, private security services, telecommunication, internet services, IT and IT-enabled services, water and milk supply, ambulances and pregnant women going to hospitals are excepted.

Other services which are exempted from the curfew are print and electronic media, petrol pumps, LPG, CNG, petroleum and gas outlets.

The order has prohibited the movement of all persons from 9 pm, except those engaged in essential services. No curfew passes are required and essential service workers can show their identity cards. Air and rail passengers going to or coming from airports and railway stations will have to show their travel tickets.

There shall be no restriction on inter-state and intra-state movement/ transportation of essential and non-essential goods. No separate permission or pass will be required for such movement. Police particularly in districts deployed police on roads who were seen creating awareness about the night curfew. People without masks were also fined.

In Hyderabad which is known for its night life, all pubs, bars and restaurants would once again suffer, according to the business community. The impact would be more in the Old City where trade and eateries buzz with activity during the period of Ramzan.