COVID-19: Maharashtra govt extends lockdown till 31 July

New Delhi: In the wake of pandemic, Maharashtra government on Monday extended lockdown in the state till 31 July.

The state government asked officials to enforce measures and necessary restrictions during the extended lockdown to contain the spread of the virus.

"Concerned District Collector and Commissioners of the Municipal Corporations in the state may enforce certain measures and necessary restrictions in specified local areas on the permitted non-essential activities and movement of persons to control Covid-19," the Maharashtra Government said.

The state government listed out the activities that will allowed in high-incidence/vulnerable districts like Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Solapur, Nashik, Akola, Amravati, Jalgaon and Dhule.

During this lockdown period, all government offices with certain exceptions like emergency, health and medical, treasuries, disaster management, police will function with up to 15% strength or 15 people, whichever is higher. All private offices can operate with up to 10% strength or 10 people, whichever is more.

Every single fundamental shop will be permitted to stay open like they were before this request and will keep on doing as such. All trivial shops will be permitted to keep as indicated by the rules gave up until this point. All unimportant markets, showcase zones and shops, with the exception of shopping centers and market buildings, will stay open from 9 am to 5 pm. Alcohol shops will keep on working whenever allowed, home conveyance or something else. 

Internet business movement will proceed for basic and insignificant things. All the modern units that are right now activities will keep on being open. Cafés can just have home conveyance choice. 

Cabs and taxi aggregators and auto carts are permitted to have two travelers separated from the driver. 

Four-wheelers can have two individuals separated from the individual driving while bikes can have a pillion separated from the driver. 

All building locales, both open and private, are permitted to stay open. Pre-rainstorm works have additionally been permitted till 31 July. 

Exercises identified with independently employed individuals like handymen, circuit testers, bother control and experts will be permitted. Carports can retouch vehicle with earlier arrangements. Marriage-related social occasions can occur in open spaces, gardens, non-cooled corridors. 

Open air physical exercises are permitted with limitations. Hair salons, cantinas, spas,



salons are permitted to work with conditions spread out by the state government.

On Sunday, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said the lockdown will continue post 30 June but with more relaxations.

The decision to extend lockdown must have been inevitable considering the surge in number of cases in the state.

Thackeray on Sunday ruled out easing the restrictions, adding the state still faces coronavirus threat.

"Will lockdown be lifted after June 30? The clear answer is no," Thackeray tweeted later.

The unlock process, dubbed Mission Begin Again by the state government, is being gradually implemented to put the economy back on track, Thackeray said in his address.

"The state has now started the unlock process under the Mission Begin Again. There will be some restrictions even after June 30, but eventually more and more relaxations will be offered to the people," he said.

Thackeray emphasised on maintaining stringent discipline as COVID-19 cases are still being reported in large numbers.

"Even if I am not using the term lockdown, do not misunderstand and lower your guard. In fact, we need to show more stringent discipline," he said.

The crisis is not yet over, the chief minister said.

For the third consecutive day, Maharashtra's Covid-19 cases jumped sharply from Saturday's highest of 5,318 to 5,493 on Sunday while deaths in Pune Division crossed 1,000, health officials said.

The state's fatalities again shot up from the June-lowest of 62 to 156 Sunday, down from the previous one-day highest deaths figure of 248 notched on June 23.

Earlier, on June 16, the state had reported the highest 1,409 fatalities taking into account reconciliation of earlier deaths, which drastically escalated the toll.

With Sunday's 156 fatalities, the state death toll climbed from 7,273 to 7,429 and total cases zoomed to 1,64,626 till date, both being the highest in the country.

This comes to roughly one death recorded every 9 minutes and a staggering 229 new cases notched every hour in the state.

After 3 days, the recovery rate marginally fell from 52.94 per cent to 52.59 per cent, and the mortality (death) rate stood at 4.51 per cent.

For most days in June, the state has been recording three-digit highs of deaths and since the past three days 5,000 plus figures of new patients, causing worries among the health officials.