Concerned about the rising number of the Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19 cases, the Maharashtra Government decided to impose a partial lockdown in the State.
On the 4th of April, Uddhav Thackeray, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, announced harsh restrictions including night curfew to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 infection.
Partial lockdown and night curfew would be in effect from the 5th of April to the 30th of April.
The lockdown and night curfew which would be in effect from 8:00 P.M., till 8:00 A.M., everyday would be till the 30th of April. Only medical and other essential services would be excluded from the night curfew duration.
Under the imposed curfew, private offices, crowded places, cinema halls, schools and others would remain closed. In addition, the Maharashtra Government also decided to impose a two day complete weekend lockdown, starting from Friday night till Monday morning. All shops, malls and markets would be closed till the 30th of April, except for groceries, medicines, vegetables and other essentials. Shopkeepers and staff in the shops of essential goods and services should complete the vaccination as soon as possible.
However, agricultural work, public and private transport would continue unaffected, following all the protocols of the Novel Coronavirus. In addition, private offices were asked to give work from home to their employees. Only banks, stock markets, insurance, pharmaceuticals, mediclaim, telecommunications, local disaster management, electricity and water supply offices would be operational. E-commerce services would also continue regularly from 7:00 A.M., to 8:00 P.M. The e-commerce services have to ensure, all their delivery staff are vaccinated.
Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena led Maharashtra Government also imposed section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) which prohibits more than five persons from coming together between 7:00 A.M., to 8:00 P.M. According to the Government, if it is noticed that people are crowding in these public places day after day without following the health rules, then the local administration can also close down the place.
The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) issued an official notification regarding the same. All the guidelines and restrictions are mentioned in the notification issued on the night of the 4th of April.
On the other hand, on the 4th of April, Maharashtra reported the highest, 57,074 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of active cases to 4.30 lakh.
Maharashtra is the worst COVID-19 affected State in India, contributing nearly 50 % of the total active cases in the nation.
