Covid-19: ₹5 to enter market for an hour in Maharashtra's Nashik

Maharashtra registered 27,918 new Covid-19 cases and 139 deaths on March 30.

Amid the rising cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the Nashik city police and civic body have decided to charge a fee from people to decongest market and check the spread of the infection.

Many shoppers have been flouting social distancing norms at Delhi markets such as Lajpat Nagar. (Photo: Amal KS/HT) (HT_PRINT)

A fee of ₹5 will be taken from those who wish to enter the markets for an hour. "We are using a different approach to contain the Covid-19 spread in Nashik. We are issuing a ticket of ₹5 per person to enter a market area for an hour. It's an attempt to save the city from entering lockdown," said Deepak Pandey, Commissioner of Police, Nashik City on Tuesday.

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Maharashtra registered 27,918 new Covid-19 cases and 139 deaths on March 30.

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray recently said that the state would have to be put under lockdown if people continued to flout Covid-19 guidelines.

Noting that people were not wearing masks, marriage halls were allowing more than the allowed number of guests, people were crowding market places and not observing social distances and private offices were calling to work more than 50 per cent of staff at once, the CM said the officials concerned should start to gear up for another lockdown.

Health minister Rajesh Tope, too, said that since the citizens were not adhering to Covid-19-appropriate behaviour, the state administration was left with no other option. He also urged everyone to get themselves tested for the virus.

"ICU and oxygen beds are filling up fast as people are coming to the hospitals in a bad state because they got themselves tested very late. I appeal to everyone to get tested," Tope said.

(with agency inputs)