Mumbai: A 10-day complete lockdown has been announced in Nashik District from May 12-23, in order to break the chain of virus transmission. The announcement came after a district disaster management authority meeting chaired by Collector Suraj Mandhare. The complete lockdown will begin at 12 noon and will remain in effect until midnight on May 23. The decision was taken in view of the steady spurt in Covid infections in the city.
On Monday, 1,205 new cases were reported in the limits of the Nashik Municipal Corporation, with zero deaths. Progressive cases stand at 2,14,501 while there have been 1,832 deaths. In the rest of the district, 977 fresh cases and one death were reported while progressive cases rose to 1,29,131 and 1,668 deaths.
According to the order issued by the disaster management authority, citizens are prohibited from venturing out except for essential and medical reasons. Groceries, bakeries, sweetmeat and other shops will remain open from 7am to 12pm, only for home delivery. People are banned from actually going to these shops; they may order the required goods online, which the shopkeepers will deliver to their homes. Weekly markets and vegetable markets will remain shut while roadside vendors are allowed to sell vegetables and fruits at the spots earmarked for them, from 7am to 12pm.
Further, milk collection and supply is allowed from 7am to 12pm and from 5pm to 7pm. The state government’s ambitious Shiv Bhojan scheme will function from 10am to 12 pm and from these centres, meal parcels will be provided. Shops under the public distribution scheme will remain open as per the orders issued by the authorities from time to time.
All public events are banned while marriage halls, lawns and other places will remain shut. Registered weddings are allowed.
Nashik district joins Sangli, Kolhapur, Amravati and Solapur, which had already announced total lockdowns amid rising cases.
The Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees across the district will remain shut but the sale of produce is allowed in a decentralised manner. Industrial units will operate ‘in situ’ while oxygen generating and pharmaceutical companies are exempted from the lockdown restrictions. Construction activities too will continue in situ, with minimum presence of workers. The concerned agencies will have to make arrangements for their food and lodging and conduct rapid antigen tests for their workers.
