Maharashtra: Lockdown in Nagpur till month-end as COVID-19 cases rise. Know details
- Restaurants to remain open until 7 pm while online food delivery will be allowed until 11 pm
- Schools and colleges will remain closed till 31 March
The restrictions will continue in Nagpur till March 31, Guardian Minister Nagpur Nitin Raut announced on Saturday in the wake of rising Covid-19 cases in the region. A complete lockdown has been imposed in Nagpur City from March 15 to 21. Despite the lockdown, over 3,500 cases were reported from Nagpur in the last 24 hours.
The restrictions, which have been imposed in the district, will continue till March 31 with partial relaxations, the minister said. He further informed that a separate standard operating procedure will be issued for the festival of Holi, which will be observed on March 28-29.
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Shops selling essential commodities will be permitted to operate till 4 pm as opposed to the earlier timing of 1 pm, while restaurants and eateries, which had been ordered to remain shut, can function till 7 pm, the minister said adding, "Food delivery services will be allowed till 11 pm."
"Schools and colleges will remain closed till 31 March. The scheduled examinations will be conducted with COVID-19 guidelines," he also informed.
The police department has been directed to take action against violators, the minister added.
Raut held a review meeting with district officials to assess the situation.
A 7-day complete lockdown was imposed in Nagpur from March 15. Only essential services such as vegetable and fruit shops and milk booths are allowed to stay open, as per the orders issued by the Nagpur district administration.
"Complete lockdown to remain imposed in Nagpur City Police Commissionerate area from March 15 to March 21. Essential services will continue," Nitin Raut had earlier said.
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The Nagpur District reported as many as 3679 fresh COVID19 cases pushing the total number of cases to 1,89,466 and with 24 death logged today, the death toll rose to 4592. Currently, the number of active cases stands at 27,625. Meanwhile, with 1594 discharges today, the district also saw 1,57,249 recoveries in total, according to ANI.
Apart from extending the lockdown in Nagpur, the Maharashtra government also imposed fresh restrictions to tackle the Covid 19 surge in the state.
As per a directive issued by the state government on, all private offices, except related to health and essential services, will function at 50% capacity. The directive said, "All private offices, except related to health and essential services, will function at 50% capacity.... In case of Government and Semi-government offices, the head of the office to take a decision regarding the attendance ensuring adherence to all Covid-19 norms."
Meanwhile, all drama theatres and auditoriums will be operating at 50% capacity and one will not be able to enter the premises without wearing proper masks. The authorities need to ensure that all Covid-19 guidelines are being followed at the premises.
As per the directive, also said, "Drama halls and Auditoriums not to be used for any religious/cultural/ social/political/cultural gathering..... In case of violation of this order, concerned drama theatre/auditorium shall have to remain close for a period until the Covid-19 pandemic stays...."
The situation in Maharashtra became grimmer, as the state reported over 25,000 free infections for two consecutive days. On Friday, as many as 25,681 cases were reported and the day before, 25,833 cases were logged, the highest-ever single-day spike since the pandemic began.
(With inputs from agencies)
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