No lockdown in Pune: Curbs on night movement, school colleges shut amid rising coronavirus cases

Pune, Feb 21: After Amaravati and Yavatmal, Pune Divisional Commissioner Saurabh Rao on Sunday has announced fresh restrictions on night-time movement, large gatherings and operations of restaurants and bars.

From 11pm to 6am, no public movement will be allowed except for those involved in essential services, in view of rising COVID19 cases. Schools & colleges in the district will remain closed till 28 Feb. New guidelines to be effective from tomorrow,'' Rao said.

Maharashtra's Pune district recorded 849 new cases of COVID-19, the highest daily count in the last few days, taking the overall infection figure to 3,97,431, an official said.

Newer curbs were also imposed in districts like Amravati, Nagpur, Buldhana, Yavatmal, Akola, Parbhani, and Jalna in view of the inflated coronavirus cases.

In view of the recent spike in cases, district collector Rajesh Deshmukh appealed to people to follow physical distancing, mask and hygiene-related norms to contain the coronavirus spread.

Maharashtra, which has remained the worst-affected Indian state since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, is once again dealing with an alarming rise in cases.