Lockdown to continue in Maharashtra with few relaxations

Maharashtra will allow hotels, restaurants and bars to operate from October 5 with capacity not exceeding 50% of the total staff. With corona cases still on the rise, the state government on Wednesday extended the lockdown till October 31 with certain relaxations outside containment zones.

The tourism department will issue a separate standard operating procedure (SOP) for precautions that the hotel industry needs to undertake.

Easing of Restrictions and Phase-wise opening of Lockdown.(1/2)#MissionBeginAgain pic.twitter.com/0DPy32X6se

— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) September 30, 2020

All industries producing non- essential items will now be allowed to operate in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Besides, the railways will increase the frequency of local trains in Mumbai and Pune.

The Mumbai police will issue QR code passes to iconic dabbawallahs to travel by local trains. The dabbawallahs are considered the lifeline of Mumbai’s workforce. Movement of oxygen carrying vehicles in and out of the state will be permitted without any restrictions of time.

Also read: Unlock 5: Cinema theatres to reopen; gatherings beyond 100 people allowed

Schools, colleges, coaching institutions, cinema halls, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres in malls and market places, auditoriums, assembly halls will remain closed.

Besides, social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural and religious events are still prohibited as per the new guidelines issued by the state government.

Meanwhile, the Covid-19 tally in Maharashtra rose to 13,84,446 on Wednesday with a single-day addition of 18,317 fresh cases With 481 deaths, the toll in the state mounted to 36,662. The state now has about 3 lakh active cases, the health department said.

Mumbai city reported 2,654 new infections, taking its total cases to 2,05,268, while the fatality count rose by 46 to 8,929, it said. The state has so far conducted 67,85,205 tests.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has ordered 72,000 vials of the Remdisevir injection for the treatment of critical patients. It has received the first batch of 10,000 vials which were distributed to various hospitals.