The Maharashtra government on Friday announced a multi-tiered set of guidelines to relax restrictions imposed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidelines have been broken down into five levels and depends on the case positivity rate and the percentage of oxygen bed occupancy. Based on this, varying degrees of mobility and activities will be allowed. The order will come into force from Monday.
Under this, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, Pune Municipal Corporation, Thane Municipal Corporation, Nashik Municipal Corporation, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, Aurangabad Municipal Corporation, Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, Nagpur Municipal Corporation, Solapur Municipal Corporation and Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation will be treated as separate administrative units. While all remaining areas will be considered a separate single administrative unit for the purpose of the guidelines, the DDMA may declare bifurcations as necessary.
While the guidelines did not spell out which part of the state will be under what level of restrictions, an attached document outlines the case positivity rate and the oxygen bed occupancy details as on Thursday. Based on this, Mumbai and its suburbs (combined) has more than 32.5% occupied oxygen beds and Mumbai has a positivity rate of 4.41 on June 3.
Based on these levels, the Maharashtra government has announced a slew of restrictions - from vehicular movement to timings for shops and other public spaces.
While things will operate normally in level one and two areas, both essential and non essential establishments will face curbs from level three onward. Malls, theatres and other similar spaces will operate with 50% capacity for Level 2 areas and remain closed at higher levels.
Local train services will be restricted to essential services for all levels apart from areas under Level 1. The curbs however get increasingly more stringent as the levels rise.
