As Maharashtra continues to see an uptick in coronavirus cases in the last few weeks, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said that lockdown will be put in some places to tackle the rise in COVID-19 cases in the state.

Maharashtra on Thursday recorded 14,317 new coronavirus cases, the highest one-day spike this year as per PTI, which took the state’s caseload to 22,66,374. The state has so far reported 52,667 deaths due to the disease, with 57 new casualties on Thursday.

 

Taking note of the rising numbers, Thackeray said, “Some areas of Maharashtra will witness strict lockdown measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus . The government is going to hold a special meeting with officials before coming out with the lockdown measures.”

He said the government has been requesting people to wear a mask, maintain physical distance and avoid moving out unnecessarily.

Even in an editorial on Shiv Sena mouthpiece “Saamana” on Wednesday, the Shiv Sena warned of stringent restrictions to tackle the resurgence.

“Is Maharashtra heading towards another lockdown? Cases across the country are increasing and Maharashtra’s contribution is major, which is a cause of concern… People should maintain self-discipline and put some restrictions on themselves. Take care, else lockdown or strict restrictions are unavoidable,” the editorial said.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Guardian Minister Aslam Shaikh on Tuesday said if COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the city, the possibility of a night curfew or partial lockdown cannot be ruled out. Shaikh said local authorities have been empowered to take a decision on lockdown as and when necessary.

Let’s take a look at some of the districts that have taken stringent measures to curb the spread of the virus.

Nagpur

A “strict lockdown” will be enforced in Nagpur from 15 to 21 March in view of a spike in COVID-19 cases in Nagpur, district guardian minister Nitin Raut announced on Thursday. The district has been reporting a spike in daily cases since February.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had last year in January had appointed guardian ministers for all 36 districts of the state.

During the lockdown, private offices will remain closed, while government offices will work at 25 percent capacity, said Raut.

Shops of essential commodities will remain open, the minister said. Liquor will be sold online only during the lockdown period. Raut said people should not move out unnecessarily.

Mumbai

Amid a recent surge in coronavirus cases in Mumbai, the city’s civic body, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday tightened norms for housing societies and quarantine rules in order to curb the spread of the virus.

The city has been reporting more than 1,000 cases a day in the last week, as per MoneyControl.

According to Mint, a fresh order by BMC has stated that 90 percent of the new cases in the city in the last two months has been reported from housing societies, while only 10 percent cases come from slums. In view of this, the civic body has decided to take strict action against violators.

Officials have been directed to take stern action against those violating rules in residential buildings that have more patients than in dense, cramped and slum areas.

“We have shifted our focus from densely populated areas, slums, to buildings. So, whoever is enjoying the facility of home quarantine, whether they are following the proper protocol and whether they are following COVID-19 appropriate behaviour — we are trying to ensure that. We have roped in the office bearers of housing societies. They can report violations if such cases are reported,” Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani told CNN-News18.

“A building with more than five patients will be sealed for any movement and buildings having less than five patients will be sealed only on the floors which have positive COVID-19 patients. As of 9 March, 2,762 floors were sealed with 4,183 positive patients,” said a statement issued by the civic body on Wednesday.

Police cases would also be filed against those who skip home quarantine, the BMC said, adding that persons found flouting the home isolation norms would be “compulsorily shifted to instructional quarantines”.

Kalyan-Dombivli, Nandurbar

As per reports, the Maharashtra government has also imposed a night curfew in Kalyan-Dombivli and Nandurbar district. The authorities took a decision after Kalyan-Dombivli recorded 392 new coronavirus positive cases on Tuesday (8 March).

According to Outlook, while issuing the order, the Kalyan-Dombivli administration said that the Shiva temple in the area will not be open for devotees on the occasion of Shivratri on 11 March.

As per the order issued by Kalyan-Dombivli municipal commissioner Dr Vijay Suryawanshi, shops will be permitted to remain open for five days from 7 am till 7 pm from Thursday onwards. Shops will be allowed to operate on an alternate day basis on Saturday and Sunday.

During the night curfew, bars and restaurants will serve customers till 9 pm only. However, home delivery will be allowed up to 10 pm. Moreover, the medical stores and other emergency services will continue to be exempted from the restrictions.

Jalgoan

Authorities in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district have recently announced a “janata curfew” that will be implemented between 8 pm on 11 March and 8 am on 15 March.

Jalgaon district collector Abhijit Raut said that emergency services and exams for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission and other departments in the municipal corporation limits will be exempted, reports Scroll.in

The district collector also stated that enforcement of the order will be the responsibility of the municipal corporation and the local police. “Violators will be liable for action under Epidemic Act and other relevant sections of IPC [Indian Penal Code],” he said.

Thane

Earlier this week, a lockdown between 13 and 31 March was declared in 11 hotspots in Thane city by the civic administration.

The order, issued by Thane Municipal Commissioner Vipin Sharma, said the decision was taken due to the 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.

With inputs from agencies