Bhopal: In a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus, a night curfew will be imposed in five cities of Madhya Pradesh- Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, Ratlam and Vidisha- starting from today.

The curfew will be in force from 10 pm to 6 am, according to the officials.

Curfew

This was told during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to review the Covid-19 situation after a spurt in infection cases, especially in Indore and Bhopal.

During the meeting, Chouhan dismissed reports that his government planned to reimpose lockdown to control the coronavirus outbreak.

"No lockdown will be imposed in the state except in containment zones, but the use of mask will be strictly enforced. A balance will be maintained so that neither the economy gets affected nor the coronavirus situation gets out of control," a public relations department said quoting the chief minister.

Chouhan said that night curfew can be implemented and small containment areas will be created in cities that witness a rise in infection cases, though essential services will not be affected under such circumstances, but inter-state and inter-district movement of vehicles will be stopped.

CurfewOfficials said, "In Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, Ratlam and Vidisha, where the rate of infection is high, night curfew will be implemented from 10 pm to 6 am from November 21."

Schools from Class I to VIII will remain closed till further orders, while students of Classes IX to XII and colleges can attend as per the current directives, they said.

Cinema halls will continue to exhibit films at 50 per cent capacity, they added.