Amid growing concern over the new coronavirus variant Omicron, the Madhya Pradesh government on Thursday imposed a night curfew in the state from 11 pm to 5 am as a precautionary measure and advised people to strictly follow COVID-19 protocols. The curfew comes into force from Thursday night.

Madhya Pradesh has so far not reported any case of Omicron, classified as a 'variant of concern' by the WHO. “In view of the rapid spread of the Omicron virus in the world, it is the right time for all to remain alert on the issue. The Centre has also issued guidelines to follow social distancing, use face masks and avoid crowded places. “We have also decided to impose a night curfew from tonight (Thursday) in the entire state from 11 pm to 5 am and will take some more measures if required to deal with the situation,” Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in his address to the people of the state in the evening.

Besides, the government has also decided that in case any coronavirus positive case is detected in the state, the patient will be kept in home isolation if there is enough space in his/her home, he said. However, if there is lack of space at home, then such a person should be admitted in hospital for treatment for the safety of other family members, the CM said. On Thursday, the state reported 30 new cases of coronavirus, a daily figure not seen in the last several weeks.

The continuous increase in the number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi in the last one week is a matter of concern, Chouhan said. "People keep coming from these states to Madhya Pradesh. Last time also cases started increasing in Maharashtra, then Gujarat and also in Madhya Pradesh. People can't forget the problems faced during the first and the second waves. Whether it was the first wave or the second, it had started from Indore-Bhopal," he said.

The weekly cases in Indore and Bhopal have increased by three times in December as compared to November, the CM said. In view of this situation, it is better for people to take precautions now to avoid the arrival of a third wave and as a precautionary measure, a night curfew will come into force from tonight, Chouhan said. The chief minister said Omicron has already reached 16 states of the country and the possibility of the variant coming to Madhya Pradesh can not be ruled out.

"In the UK, one lakh coronavirus cases are coming up every day, while in the US 2.5 lakh cases are being reported per day. In Europe also, it is spreading very fast and therefore, it is time to remain alert," he added. The state has so far reported 7,93,581 cases of coronavirus and 10,531 deaths linked to the infection.?

-With PTI Inputs