How Effective is Night Curfew in Preventing Corona: Narvijay Yadav Examines India Scene

In view of the increasing cases of Covid 19 and the Omicron variant of Coronavirus in the country, many states have implemented night curfews in a bid to control the spread of the deadly virus. New Year parties have been frequently cancelled in the wake of various restrictions. The party goers and the hoteliers have been upset after the announcement of night curfew in Haryana from 11 pm to 5 am. Hotels are planning to conclude their New Year parties at 10:30 pm on December 31. Booking amount also cannot be refunded as money has already been spent for making arrangements. Some states like Delhi and Karnataka have already banned the parties and weddings. Section 144 will remain in force in Maharashtra till the night of December 31. Night curfew is in force there from 9 pm to 6 am. The curfew timings in Delhi, Uttarakhand and Gujarat are from 11 pm to 5 am. Curfew is in force in Assam also from 10.30 pm to 6 am, but there will be no curfew in the state on the night of December 31.

People are confused and raising the question that “will the night curfew stop Coronavirus?” Does Corona come out on the streets only at night? Then why is night curfew being imposed everywhere? The questions are valid, but the governments and experts also have their own logic and reason behind their decision. Night curfew timings vary among states, but most states consider night curfew to be necessary to prevent the spread of Covid infection. The night curfew is a tactic to ban social events that can turn into Covid infected groups. The governments cannot impose a lockdown every now and then, because everything stops and the economy of the country can be affected badly. Remember, in the year 2020, millions of Indians lost their jobs due to the lockdown. In such a situation, a psychological message goes through the night curfew. Night curfew can help convey the gravity of the situation and make people aware of the need to follow all safety measures.

Vaccination, masks, social distance and cleanliness are the most effective ways to keep Corona under control. But because of curfew, the burden on the medical staff in hospitals is reduced. People usually follow the rules during the day, but at night often everyone becomes careless about who is going to stop them. Partying and hanging out with friends is done at night, where the rules related to mask and social distancing are the first to be broken. Moreover, once under the influence of alcohol in the night parties, people tend to throw caution to the wind.  Night restrictions definitely prevent such people from becoming sick. Night curfew not only prevents people from stepping out, but also gives a signal that they should be careful as the cases are increasing. Night curfew compels one to take steps like wearing masks and maintaining social distance at all times. The government issues instructions, but people ignore them. After the second wave, people had become careless about the restrictions of the rules. They started roaming the markets and streets without any precaution. In such a situation, curfew is an effective way to bring seriousness among the people.

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Narvijay Yadav is a senior journalist & columnist.
Email: narvijayindia@gmail.com

One Man Indian Intelligentsia, Narvijay Yadav is Journalist, Formerly with Free Press Journal, Dainik Bhaskar, Rashtriya Sahara, Advisor NASSCOM Community, President (North), Bloggers Alliance (https://bloggersalliance.org),  from Chandigarh, Twitter @NarvijayYadav (https://twitter.com/narvijayyadav)