Due to COVID-19 situation, authorities have urged people to avoid public gatherings. (File)
Anticipating large gatherings on New Year's Day, exit gates at four metro stations in central Delhi were closed on Friday afternoon by authorities.
Every year, revellers gather at Connaught Place, Khan Market and other prominent places, which are adjacent to metro station, to ring in the new year, by shopping and dining out.
However, due to COVID-19 situation, authorities have urged people to not crowd around and avoid public gatherings, especially in view of the new strain of coronavirus which was detected recently.
"Exit gates of Khan Market, Supreme Court, Central Secretariat and Mandi House are closed. Entry and interchange is permitted at these stations," the DMRC tweeted.
COVID-19 safety norms like wearing mask and maintaining social distancing are in place in view of the pandemic, so the crowd should not get too big, a senior official said.
The Delhi government has also imposed night curfew from 11 pm to 6 am on December 31 and January 1 to avoid large gatherings during New Year celebrations due to COVID-19 and its highly transmissible UK strain.
The DMRC's current operational network spans about 390 km with 285 stations across 11 corridors (including NOIDA - Greater NOIDA line). On regular days, the average daily ridership of the Delhi Metro is over 26 lakh.
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