MUMBAI: While the lockdown in containment zones in the entire Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has been extended till August 31, malls and shopping complexes in all civic bodies, barring Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, will continue to remain shut.
On Wednesday, the state government, under Unlock 3.0, allowed malls, shopping complexes and market places in non-containment zones to reopen from August 5. But as Kalyan-Dombivli, Thane and Mira-Bhayander continue to be coronavirus hotspots, their municipal corporations have decided to keep the shutters down. As a breather for traders, shops and offices in these civic limits can remain open for two more hours-from 9am-7 pm instead of 9am-5pm-and follow the odd-even pattern. Swimming pools and gyms across Maharashtra continue to be shut as per the state's order dated July 29.
The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) has increased the number of containment zones to 62 from 41, but has allowed and vegetable shops in these areas to function from 9am to 5pm. Earlier only medical shops were allowed to operate in containment zones.
On Friday, KDMC inched closer to the grim milestone of 20,000 cases. With 329 fresh cases, it touched 19,967 cases. The death toll is 357, included 10 succumbing to the virus on Friday. KDMC, which had crossed the 15,000-mark along with the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) on July 17, now has more active cases (5,770) than Thane (4,575).
In Navi Mumbai, civic chief Abhijit Bangar kept the 46 hotspots under lockdown till August 31. On Friday, the area saw its highest single-day spike of 398 cases and seven deaths. The caseload is now 15,385, includes 418 deaths.
Bhiwandi civic body, however, has not imposed additional restrictions on containment zones. Civic chief Pankaj Ashiya said: "We are going as per the government guidelines."
In Thane, hotspots shot up from 27 to 40 in two weeks. Malls and shopping complexes had begun santisation and were readying their Standard Operating Procedure for both staffers and customers. Deputy municipal commissioner Sandip Malvi said that restrictions on crowded places will have to continue. On Thursday alone, 3,511 tests were done in Thane, and 3,565 swab reports arrived. On Friday, TMC reported 313 new cases, taking the total to 19,027. With 10 deaths on Friday, the toll has reached 618.
Cases in Palghar district breached the 15,000-mark with 288 deaths due to coronavirus. Health officers attributed the rise in cases to increased testing. In 18 days, 28,059 tests were done, of which 21,628 was in Vasai-Virar alone. The district too imposed restrictions on hotspots till August 31, with malls, market complexes remaining shut.
Mira-Bhayander reported 127 new cases on Friday, taking the caseload to 8,314, including 274 deaths. The civic body, while allowing a two-hour concession for shops and offices till 7 pm, refused permission to malls and shopping complexes to roll up shutters.
Inputs by Pradeep Gupta, Manoj Badgeri, Vijay Singh, Umesh K Parida & Sandhya Nair
On Wednesday, the state government, under Unlock 3.0, allowed malls, shopping complexes and market places in non-containment zones to reopen from August 5. But as Kalyan-Dombivli, Thane and Mira-Bhayander continue to be coronavirus hotspots, their municipal corporations have decided to keep the shutters down. As a breather for traders, shops and offices in these civic limits can remain open for two more hours-from 9am-7 pm instead of 9am-5pm-and follow the odd-even pattern. Swimming pools and gyms across Maharashtra continue to be shut as per the state's order dated July 29.
The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) has increased the number of containment zones to 62 from 41, but has allowed and vegetable shops in these areas to function from 9am to 5pm. Earlier only medical shops were allowed to operate in containment zones.
On Friday, KDMC inched closer to the grim milestone of 20,000 cases. With 329 fresh cases, it touched 19,967 cases. The death toll is 357, included 10 succumbing to the virus on Friday. KDMC, which had crossed the 15,000-mark along with the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) on July 17, now has more active cases (5,770) than Thane (4,575).
In Navi Mumbai, civic chief Abhijit Bangar kept the 46 hotspots under lockdown till August 31. On Friday, the area saw its highest single-day spike of 398 cases and seven deaths. The caseload is now 15,385, includes 418 deaths.
Bhiwandi civic body, however, has not imposed additional restrictions on containment zones. Civic chief Pankaj Ashiya said: "We are going as per the government guidelines."
In Thane, hotspots shot up from 27 to 40 in two weeks. Malls and shopping complexes had begun santisation and were readying their Standard Operating Procedure for both staffers and customers. Deputy municipal commissioner Sandip Malvi said that restrictions on crowded places will have to continue. On Thursday alone, 3,511 tests were done in Thane, and 3,565 swab reports arrived. On Friday, TMC reported 313 new cases, taking the total to 19,027. With 10 deaths on Friday, the toll has reached 618.
Cases in Palghar district breached the 15,000-mark with 288 deaths due to coronavirus. Health officers attributed the rise in cases to increased testing. In 18 days, 28,059 tests were done, of which 21,628 was in Vasai-Virar alone. The district too imposed restrictions on hotspots till August 31, with malls, market complexes remaining shut.
Mira-Bhayander reported 127 new cases on Friday, taking the caseload to 8,314, including 274 deaths. The civic body, while allowing a two-hour concession for shops and offices till 7 pm, refused permission to malls and shopping complexes to roll up shutters.
Inputs by Pradeep Gupta, Manoj Badgeri, Vijay Singh, Umesh K Parida & Sandhya Nair
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