Maharashtra imposes complete weekend lockdown, night curfew amid covid spike

Mumbai, Apr 04: The Maharashtra Cabinet on Sunday decided against imposing a full lockdown. However, as cases soar, there will be a full weekend lockdown which will be in place from 9 pm on Friday to Monday morning 7 am.

The state government also extended the night curfew from 8 pm to 7 am. All these new restrictions will come into effect from Monday 8 pm and will be called ''Break the Chain'' instead of ''Mission Begin Again'', a campaign that was launched by the state government for phase-wise reopening of lockdown last year.

The rules, which come into effect from April 5, include

• Ban on gatherings of five or more throughout the day.
• Malls, restaurants and bars will be closed; home delivery and essential services will be allowed.
• Except the essential services shops, medical shops and grocery shops, all other shops, markets and shopping malls will be closed till April 30.
• Gardens, beaches and all public places will be closed from 8 pm to 7 am.
• Restaurants are permitted only for take away and parcel services.All private offices, except in banking, stock market, insurance, pharma, telecommunication and mediclaim sectors, will be shut as part of these restrictions.
• Work from home is mandatory for private offices, except those in local disaster management, electricity and water supply.
• Govt offices will function at 50 per cent capacity.
• No crowding during film shootings.
• Rs 500 fine for not wearing masks.
• Transportation will permit passengers to travel based on their sitting capacity.
• Rickshaw, Taxi and personal vehicles will commute with 50% sitting capacity.
• Religious places will have to follow strict Covid-19 rules.
• In the coming days, there is a possibility of a lockdown-like situation on Saturdays and Sundays.
• There will be a restriction on visiting open spaces including garden, beaches, Gateway of India & other places on weekends.
• Schools, colleges and private coaching classes will be closed. However, exams for Classes 10 and 12 will take place as announced earlier.
• Salons, beauty parlours will be closed and the staff should get vaccinated at the earliest.
• Newspaper printing and distribution will continue.
• Agriculture-related activities, includingtransport of food grains and agriculture produce will continue uninterrupted.
• Industrial and manufacturing sector will not stop, but they will have to take all necessary COVID-19 precautions.
• Construction workers will not be taken off their jobs if they fall ill of COVID-19.
• Construction work would continue only if the premises has facility for workers'' accommodation. If a worker falls ill, he would be paid full wages.
• If a housing society has more than five COVID-19 patients, that building will be declared as a "mini containment" zone. A board will be put up and outsiders will be banned from entering.