COVID-19: Restrictions imposed in Nashik district; Lockdown in 11 hotspots of Thane till 31 March

Mumbai, Mar 09: The Nashik district administration imposed several restrictions starting Tuesday after the number of COVID-19 cases rose by 675 to touch 1,26,570 on Monday. The day also saw six people dying from the infection and 389 recovering.

The district's overall toll is 2,140 and the number of people discharged stands at 1,20,204, he added.

With 2,182 samples being examined on Monday, the overall number of tests in Nashik went up to 5,61,783. The district administration imposed restrictions in view of the rising number of cases after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray reviewed the situation.

"It is not a lockdown. Only some restrictions have been put in place to prevent a surge in case numbers," said Collector Suraj Mandhare said later in the evening.

As per Mandhare's order, all shops and establishments, except those engaged in essential services, will be closed from 7pm to 7am, while permit rooms will operate at 50 per cent capacity and down shutters at 9pm.

Places of worship will remain open from 7am to 7pm and remain closed during weekends.

Schools, colleges and coaching classes in Nashik, Malegaon, Niphad and Nandgaon will remain closed from March 10 till further orders, though classes for standards X and XII will continue due to upcoming board exams, the order said.

Educational institutions in Nashik city were ordered shut till March 15 a few days ago.

Earlier scheduled examinations such as UPSC and MPSC will be held, it added.

Marriage functions that had got permission earlier will be allowed to take place till March 15 after which no new nod would be given, an official said.

In Thane city, a lockdown between March 13 and 31 was declared on Monday in 11 hotspots by the civic administration, officials said.

The order, issued by Thane Municipal Commissioner Vipin Sharma, said the decision was taken due to rise in COVID-19 cases in these areas in the past few days.

It said all restrictions that were in place during the nationwide lockdown declared earlier would be in force during this time as well.

As on Monday morning, the caseload of Thane district was 2,69,845, including 6,302 deaths.