Maharashtra state government on Wednesday extended the lockdown till August 31. Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar said the state remains “threatened with the spread of Covid-19”, adding that restrictions would be eased in a “phase-wise manner with SOPs”.
The advancement came hours after the Central government disclosed guidelines for ‘Unlock 3.0′. The decision to extend the lockdown has been taken as an ’emergency step to prevent and contain’ the spread of COVID-19.
A medical survey of nearly 7,000 people in Mumbai says that one in six or about 16 per cent of residents in the city had contracted the coronavirus. In slum areas, where lakhs of people live in cramped spaces usually sharing toilets, the number was a whopping 57 per cent.
As per new guidelines, movement of persons for the purpose of non-essential activities like shopping and outdoor exercises shall be restricted within neighbourhood area limits with mandatory precautions of wearing masks, social distancing and personal hygiene.
All necessary shops, e-commerce activity for essential and non-essential items, all industrial units which are presently operational and home delivery of food will be permitted.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, at the weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday, told ministers he preferred a “gradual and calibrated” process of reopening.
Uddhav Thackeray also asked people not to get complacent in their fight against coronavirus and advised them to follow all the standards laid out by govt to fight the pandemic. “Even if I am not using the term lockdown, do not misunderstand and lower your guard. In fact, we need to show more stringent discipline,” he said.
