Night curfew in Delhi likely from Monday
New Delhi, Dec 26: With the COVID-19 positivity rate touching 0.55 percent, the Delhi government has decided to re-impose night curfew from Monday, according to sources.
Officials said the night curfew will kick in under the four-stage Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) if the positivity rate settles at 0.5 percent for two consecutive days.
Delhi reported 290 fresh coronavirus cases on Sunday, the highest since June 10, and one fatality, while the positivity rate rose to 0.55 percent, according to data shared by the Delhi government's health department here.
Under GRAP, a 'Yellow' alert will come into force if the positivity rate settles at 0.5 percent for two consecutive days, leading to a host of restrictions.
Sources said Sunday usually sees a lower number of tests which might affect the positivity rate. Yet night curfew will commence on Monday from 11 PM and last till 5 AM.
On June 10, the national capital had reported 305 cases and 44 deaths.
The cumulative tally has now risen to 14,43,352 while the death toll is 25,105. The number of active cases stands at 1,103, of which 583 patients are in home isolation.
States like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Karnataka have also reimposed night curfew.
Night curfew, closure of schools and colleges, and shops of non-essential items, and halved seating capacity in metro trains are the other restrictions that will come in place under the yellow alert.
GRAP was approved by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority in July in anticipation of the third wave of COVID-19. It aims to bring in a clearer picture of imposition and lifting of restrictions depending on the coronavirus situation.
Curfew from 10 PM to 5 AM will be imposed during Yellow, Amber and Orange alerts. If the 'Red' alert is sounded, there will be "total curfew".
The 'Yellow' (level-1) alert will be sounded when the positivity rate crosses 0.5 percent or new cases increase to 1,500 or oxygenated bed occupancy reaches 500. The response will involve allowing construction, manufacturing activities and opening of shops of essential goods.
Shops and establishments of non-essential goods and services, and malls will be allowed to open between 10 AM and 8 PM based on the odd-even formula. Only one weekly market per zone with 50 percent of vendors will be allowed to open.
Restaurants will be permitted with 50 percent capacity from 8 AM to 10 PM while bars can also operate with the same capacity, but from 12 noon to 10 PM. Marriages and funerals will be allowed with 20 people in attendance while all other types of gatherings will be prohibited.
The Delhi Metro will run at 50 percent seating capacity while auto-rickshaws and cabs can ferry up to two passengers. Buses will ply with only 50 percent exempted category passengers, according to GRAP.
Cinema halls, banquet halls, spas, gyms, outdoor yoga activity, amusement parks, stadiums, swimming pools, schools and colleges will not be allowed if the 'Yellow' alert is sounded.
Religious places will be open but without visitors. Parks and gardens can open.
Private offices can function with up to 50 percent of employees. In Delhi government offices also, barring certain categories of officials, only half of the remaining employees will be allowed.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
