Cinema halls, multiplexes and drama theaters will be
allowed to operate with 50 percent of seating capacity and no
eatableswill be allowed inside. (Photo: Reuters)Maharashtra Coronavirus News Live Updates: The state government on Wednesday allowed Cinema halls to reopen outside containment zones from November 5. In an order issued today, it said cinema halls, drama theatres, multiplexes, swimming pools and yoga institutes will be allowed to function outside containment zones. Cinema halls, multiplexes and drama theaters will be allowed to operate with 50 percent of seating capacity and no eatables will be allowed inside.
At least 46 more drivers and conductors of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation’s (MSRTC) Sangli division, deployed to operate civic BEST buses in Mumbai, have tested positive for coronavirus. With this, the number of drivers and conductors from MSRTC Sangli division who contracted the virus after working in Mumbai has reached 151, a senior MSRTC official said. Last week, 105 drivers and conductors from Sangli division who were operating BEST buses in Mumbai had tested positive.
The state’s COVID-19 tally on Tuesday increased to 16,92,693 with the addition of 4,909 new cases, said a state health department official. The state also reported 120 fresh deaths, pushing the fatality count to 44,248, he said. A total of 6,973 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the tally of recovered people to 15,31,277, the official said. With this, the number of active patients in the state has dropped to 1,16,543.
Meanwhile, state health minister Rajesh Tope said a second wave of infections was unlikely but the state is ready to tackle in case such a situation arises, PTI reported. Tope said testing in Maharashtra had increased while the civic body in Mumbai was providing free tests at 44 places. The minister added that a decision on opening places of worship would be taken by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at the appropriate time.
Covid-19 tests at a Municipality dispensary in Nimoni Baug in Mumbai. (Express file photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Cinema halls, drama theaters, multiplexes, swimming pools and yoga institutes in Maharashtra can reopen outside containment zones from November 5, the state government said on Wednesday. Cinema halls, multiplexes and drama theaters will be allowed to operate with 50 percent of seating capacity and no eatableswill be allowed inside. All these establishments were closed since lockdown was imposed to contain coronavirus in March. Last month the state had allowed hotels and bars to reopen. As per the latest government guidelines, swimming pools used for training of state-, national- and international-level sportspersons and located outside containment zones can operate from November 5. Yoga institutes, indoor sports facilities such as badminton halls, tennis, squash courts, indoor shooting ranges will also be allowed to operate from Thursday. Physical distancing and sanitization must be ensured, the guidelines said. The remaining lockdown restrictions have already been extended till November 30.
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis was discharged from St George hospital on Wednesday after being tested negative. However, doctors have advised him seven days home quarantine. Thanking everyone for his speedy recovery, Fadnavis said, " I am grateful to all the doctors, nurses, sanitation workers, administrative administration staff for your kind care and support in hospital. I sincerely thank everyone for wishing my speedy recovery and support."
With the number of coronavirus cases coming down in Pune district, the local administration has allowed private hospitals to use oxygen-supported COVID-19 beds for treatment of patients suffering from other diseases, news agency PTI reported. With 546 new cases on Tuesday, the COVID-19 tally in the western Maharashtra district has risen to 3,25,212. Also, 3,05,945 patients have been discharged from hospitals, leaving 11,476 active cases in the district, officials said.
"With the numbers of COVID-19 cases coming down and the recovery rate of the district also improving, private hospitals have been allowed to use oxygenated COVID-19 beds for non-COVID-19 purpose," said collector Rajesh Deshmukh. Removing the 80:20 clause (COVID-19 & non-coronavirus patients), private hospitals have been asked to give a detailed plan on how will they manage these beds, he added.
Pune district reported 546 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, taking its caseload to 3,25,212 on Tuesday, a health official said. With 28 fresh fatalities, the death toll in the district reached 7,955, he added. Also, 280 patients were discharged from hospitals following their recovery from the infection, the official said.
Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally on Tuesday increased to 16,92,693 with the addition of 4,909 new cases, said a state health department official. The state also reported 120 fresh deaths, pushing the fatality count to 44,248, he said. A total of 6,973 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the tally of recovered people to 15,31,277, the official said. With this, the number of active patients in the state has dropped to 1,16,543.
At least 46 more drivers and conductors of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation's (MSRTC) Sangli division, deployed to operate civic BEST buses in Mumbai, have tested positive for coronavirus. With this, the number of drivers and conductors from MSRTC Sangli division who contracted the virus after working in Mumbai has reached 151, a senior MSRTC official said.
The Maharashtra government and the Railways are at loggerheads over restarting Mumbai’s suburban train operations, the lifeline of the metropolis, without restrictions on who can avail of the services. At present, only certain categories of persons, including essential services staff and women, can travel by local trains. In this article we explain why the two are at loggerheads and how this is not the first time that the Maharashtra government and the Railways have squared off against each other.
Nagpur district reported 279 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, taking the total tally to 1,03,257, while 10 deaths took the death toll to 3,420, PTI quoted an official as saying.
A total of 96,108 people have recovered from the disease, and 3,729 cases are active at present.