Maharashtra shops selling essentials to remain open only for four hours

Maharashtra, which continues to battle a second yet strong wave of COVID-19, on Tuesday (April 20) tightened measures to control the spread of the virus.

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As per the new state government order, groceries, vegetable, fruits shops, bakeries and dairies will be open only for four hours (7am to 11am) while home delivery will not be allowed after 8 pm. The order applies to all bakeries, confectionaries and shops that sell food of any kind, including meat shops. Earlier, these shops were allowed to remain open till 8 pm, but now their working will be restricted to four hours in the day.

Besides, home deliveries may be allowed from 7 am to 8 pm, depending on modifications suggested by the local authorities.

The new diktat comes in the backdrop of reports received by the state government that people were stepping out in the name of buying groceries all through the day and crowding markets.

Maharashtra is still the worst-affected state in the country, accounting for 3/4th of the overall national tally of cases every day. Maharashtra reported highest-ever number of COVID cases in a day – 68,631 – on Sunday. However, the number of daily cases dipped significantly to 58,924 on Monday.

Considering the rising number of cases, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had imposed 15-day restrictions in the state, starting April 14, besides maintaining complete lockdown on weekends.