Masks Must, No Protests & Focus on Social Distancing: What You Need to Know About Section 144 in Noida

Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddh Nagar on Thursday invoked section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) till April 30, prohibiting unauthorised protests and warning of action against people not following COVID-19 protocols like social distancing and wearing face masks at public places, according to an order.

The section of the Criminal Procedure Code prevents the assembly of four or more people in an area.

Here is everything you need to know about the restrictions:

• The prohibition has been imposed ahead of festivals including- Holi, Good Friday, Maharishi Kashyap Jayanti, Navratri, Ambedkar Jayanti, Ram Navami, Mahavir Jayanti, and Hanuman Jayanti will fall between March 17-April 30.

• Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Ashutosh Dwivedi said that during these occasions, the chances of anti-social elements attempting to disrupt law and order cannot be ruled out.

• The active cases in the district reached 76 from 78 on Wednesday, according to the data released by the UP Health Department for a 24-hour period.

• Nobody would be allowed to roam around with sticks, rods or firearms at public places except for differently-abled and vision-impaired persons.

• The order stated that nobody will be allowed to hold protests, processions or hunger strikes without permission from the competent authority, nor will they encourage anyone else to do so.

• Active COVID-19 cases in UP rose to 2,014 from 1,912 on Tuesday while the overall recoveries reached 5,95,150 and the death toll reached 8,751 on Wednesday, the data showed.

• The police also reiterated the complete ban on celebratory firing at events such as weddings and consumption of liquor at public places during the period and cautioned people against selling, playing or displaying any audio or visual, which may create tension.

• The move comes after the neighbouring Delhi also registered a surge in cases. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is also scheduled to meet the Health Minister over the rising cases.

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