Lucknow, Apr 16 (IANS): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has decided that the state government will set up a temporary 1,000-bed Covid hospital, possibly at the site where the Defence Expo was held last year.

Addressing a virtual meeting of Team 11 on Friday, the Chief Minister asked officials to work out the modalities in this regard without further delay.

Meanwhile, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is MP from Lucknow, has spoken to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and requested him to provide space to defence authorities for setting up makeshift hospitals.

Lucknow is witnessing a surge in Covid cases and the city's medical infrastructure is inadequate to face the medical crisis.

Diwakar Tripathi, the representative of Rajnath Singh, confirmed that the defence minister has requested the chief minister to provide banquet halls and open space in the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan or the BBD Academy to teams of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) for raising the medical infrastructure on its own cost and provide beds and oxygen to patients.

"Since the DRDO already has a chain of command and military hospitals in and around the city as well as the expert medical manpower, it can immediately intervene provided the district administration gives it space for setting up makeshift hospitals," he said.

The chief minister has also announced that there will be a total closure in the state on Sunday so as to enable sanitization and fogging on a large-scale.

All shops and establishments will remain closed and public movement will be allowed only in emergency conditions.

The chief minister directed all government and private labs to work at optimum level.

The OPD services in all hospitals and medical facilities have been stopped and patients can interact with doctors through tele-medicine facilities.

The Arogya Melas have also been suspended till May 15.

The state government has also decided to impose a fine of Rs 1,000 on those who move out without wearing masks.