Covid-19 restrictions likely to be eased in 25 Maharashtra districts, says Tope

Tope said that 11 districts reporting a high caseload will remain under restrictions necessitated to contain the Covid-19 infection.

Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope on Thursday said that the Maharashtra government is planning to relax Covid-19 restrictions in districts where the rate of new infections is lower than the state average. The minister said that 25 districts of Maharashtra would come under the ambit of these relaxations.

Maharashtra reported a marginal rise in the number of new cases on Wednesday as it reported 6,857 new cases, reporting 599 more cases. (PTI Photo)

Tope said that 11 districts reporting a high caseload will remain under restrictions necessitated to contain the Covid-19 infection. The health minister said that shops, restaurants and cinema halls could be allowed to operate with 50% capacity. The timing for shops to remain open could be extended beyond 4pm to 8pm or 9pm on weekdays.

He further added that a formal order on relaxations in the 25 districts reporting fewer cases would be issued in a couple of days. Tope said that the state government is in discussion with railways authorities regarding letting fully vaccinated people board the suburban trains.

“Decision on allowing fully vaccinated people to travel by suburban trains will be taken after thorough discussion with railway authorities,” Tope said. Maharashtra has vaccinated at least more than 1 crore people with one dose of the vaccine, the Union health ministry said on Wednesday.

Tope earlier on Thursday said that the rise in infections in the UK and some countries of the European Union has made the state government cautious regarding reopening at a faster pace. “Several nations have reintroduced lockdown to curb the chain of transmission and stop the spreading of Covid-19. The same challenges are before us well,” he said.

Maharashtra reported a marginal rise in the number of new cases on Wednesday as it reported 6,857 new cases, reporting 599 more cases. Pune, which was among the worst affected districts in the nation, continues to have the highest number of active cases in the state. Maharashtra has 82,545 active patients with Pune reporting 15,768 active cases.