Covid-19: HC wants 5 UP cities shut but Yogi govt rules out lockdown

The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday refused to go for a lockdown, saying it was necessary to protect livelihoods of people, after the Allahabad High Court directed the state government to enforce closure of government and private establishments in five cities -- Lucknow, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Kanpur and Gorakhpur -- till April 26 to break the lethal Covid chain.