Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government will not be imposing a complete lockdown in the state for now. However, a strict lockdown will be imposed on Saturdays and Sundays, Maharashtra Minister Aslam Shaikh told reporters after the Cabinet meeting today.
"Night curfew will be put in place from 8 pm to 7 am. Only essential services will be permitted. Restaurants are permitted only for take away & parcel services. For offices, employees will have to work from home. Detailed SOP will be released soon," Aslam Shaikh said.
Check out the new guidelines:
1. Strict lockdown on Saturdays and Sundays.
2. Night curfew from 8 pm to 7 am from Monday.
3. Restaurants are permitted only for take away & parcel services.
4. Cinema halls and drama theaters will be closed.
5. Schools and colleges will remain closed.
6. Micro-containment zones will be put in place with strict measures.
7. Construction activities will continue but the contractors will have to make arrangements for workers to stay and their vaccination.
8. Vaccination will be increased by increasing the number of centres across the state.
9. Gardens and beaches will be closed.
10. District and civic administrations are authorized to take decisions locally.
11. Section 144 to be imposed during the day from Monday.
This comes after Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said that a lockdown cannot be ruled out if the COVID-19 situation did not improve in the state.
He said the state may face a shortage of healthcare facilities if the present surge in coronavirus cases continued. "If this situation continues, the prevailing health facilities would be inadequate," the chief minister warned.
The state government wanted to safeguard the economy and livelihood of the poor, but it also wanted to save lives, Thackeray added.
Maharashtra reported 49,447 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, the highest since the pandemic outbreak. There are 4,01,127 active COVID-19 cases in the state.
