Maharashtra issues fresh COVID-19 curbs amid rise in cases; schools, colleges to remain shut till 15 Feb

With infections of coronavirus rising exponentially, the Maharashtra government on Saturday announced more stringent measures in the state, including restrictions in movement in groups of five or more from 11 pm to 5 am, effective from 10 January.

“No movement of people on roads will be allowed during the curfew hours except for essential purposes,” according to the order issued by the Department of Revenue and Forest, Disaster Management, Relief and Rehabilitation.

Schools, colleges and coaching institutes to remain closed till Feb 15, with few exceptions in Maharashtra

— ANI (@ANI) January 8, 2022

What are the new restrictions

Schools and colleges will be closed till 15 February except for activities required to be undertaken for class 10 and 12 students and administrative activities of teachers, it said.

No visitors will be allowed at government offices except with written permission of office heads. Online interaction facility will be provided for people through video conference.

Government offices should opt for work from home and working hours should be staggered if work from office is required, the circular said.

Private offices have also been asked to rationalize the number of employees coming to work by allowing work from home and staggering working hours.

Maximum 50 people allowed at wedding events. Attendance at social, religious, cultural or political gatherings will also be capped at 50. At funerals, not more than 20 persons can remain present.

Swimming pools, gyms, spas, wellness centres, beauty salons will remain closed. Hair cutting salons will function at 50 percent capacity.

Sporting events would be deferred, except national and international-level competitions already scheduled. But such events would take place without spectators and with creation of bio- bubble for players and officials.

RT-PCR and Rapid Antigen Tests will be mandatory for players and officials every third day of the event or tournament, the circular said.

Entertainment parks, zoos, museums, forts and other ticketed places for public will be closed.

Shopping malls and market complexes can operate at 50 percent capacity, and information about the present number of visitors should be displayed on noticeboard.

Only fully vaccinated people will be allowed to enter malls and shopping complexes, and these establishments will be closed after 10 pm.

Restaurants and eateries will also function at 50 percent capacity and present number of visitors will be displayed on the notice board. They too can remain open only till 10 pm.

Cinema theatres and drama halls will also function at 50 percent capacity.

Public transport will be allowed only for fully vaccinated persons.

Competitive exams, where hall tickets have been issued, will be held as per the central government guidelines. All other future exams will be conducted only after receiving permission from the State Disaster Management Authority, the circular said.

The state today logged 41,434 new cases – marginally higher than Friday. Thirteen people died in the past 24 hours – five of them in Mumbai.

India’s financial capital reported 20,318 cases in the past 24 hours – a shade lower than Friday’s 20,971.

With inputs from agencies

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.