Allahabad High Court on Monday ordered restrictions in five Uttar Pradesh cities till April 26, acting at a time harrowing images of Covid’s impact have added to the perception of a breakdown in governance in the key state.

“It is a shame that while the government knew of the magnitude of the second wave, it never planned things in advance,” the bench of Justices Siddhartha Varma and Ajit Kumar said.

Lucknow, Allahabad, Varanasi, Kanpur and Gorakhpur are the cities earmarked by the court for the restrictions to check the spread of Covid-19.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath is in isolation after testing positive for Covid-19. Between March 16 and April 8, he had addressed 20 election rallies in Bengal for the BJP.

The court also asked the state government to “consider imposition of a complete lockdown in the entire state for at least a period of two weeks”.

Late at night, the state government said it would not impose a lockdown but would increase the fine for not wearing masks and take other steps. A government official hinted the state would urge the court for a rethink on Tuesday morning.

But by late evening, panic buying had begun in Lucknow with thousands thronging the markets.

While issuing the directive, the bench of Justices Varma and Kumar said the night curfew “in the name of corona curfew and the weekend curfew are nothing else but a mere eyewash”.

Uttar Pradesh has been observing night curfews — which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has suggested should be called “corona curfews” — between 9pm and 6am, and weekend curfews from Friday evening till Monday morning.

The bench observed that the second wave of the pandemic had “virtually incapacitated all our medical infrastructure in the state of UP”, especially in the five cities mentioned.

It cited how “patients have outnumbered the hospital beds and people are just running from pillar to post” and how, in Allahabad, “people are getting... influenza-like infections in every fifth house of every mohalla”.

“If hospitals are not able to provide beds and oxygen, we are sure that cities like Prayagraj (Allahabad), Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur and Gorakhpur... cannot provide medical aid to even 10 per cent of the populations,” the court said.

“Economy, economy and economy is the only tune that the government is all the time harping upon, but bread and butter, if you take to a person who needs oxygen and medication, it will be of no use to him,” the court said.

“You may have grocery shops full of eatables and industries which produce bikes and cars but all these won’t be of any use if your medical shops run out of stock of life-saving drugs like remdesivir in the current surge of pandemic.”

The bench issued Monday’s directive while hearing a public interest plea on the poor conditions at quarantine centres relating to hygiene, sanitisation, medicines, food and beds. It will review the directive on April 26.

Highlights of the order affecting the five cities

⚫ All government and private establishments to be closed except for financial institutions and financial departments, medical and health services, industrial and scientific establishments, essential services including municipal functions and public transport.

⚫ The judiciary will “function on its own discretion”.

⚫ All malls, hotels, eateries, schools, colleges to be closed. Medical stores can remain open but not with more than three workers.

⚫ Vendors including those selling fruits, vegetables, milk or bread to go off the roads by 11am.

⚫ Road traffic banned except for medical emergencies.

⚫ No social events or gatherings allowed.

⚫ All public religious activities to be suspended and religious establishments closed.