Maha lockdown till June 1; -ve RT-PCR report must for arrivals

The Maharashtra government on Thursday extended the lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the state till June 1, 7am

The Maharashtra government on Thursday extended the lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the state till June 1, 7am. The restrictions imposed by the state government under the “break the chain” initiative were supposed to end on May 15. The state government imposed further restrictions by mandating a negative RT-PCR report for people entering Maharashtra. The test should be conducted up to 48 hours before entry.

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Earlier this month, Maharashtra had listed eight states — Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Kerala, Goa, Gujarat, Delhi and NCR region, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand – as places of “sensitive origin” and had put restrictions on those arriving from these states. The restrictions included mandatory 15-day home quarantine even if they are carrying a negative report; passengers without symptoms and without needing to be moved to quarantine centres shall without fail be stamped on their hands for compulsory home quarantine up to a total of 15 days.

Now these rules will be applicable to anyone arriving in Maharashtra from any part of the country, the latest order stated. As per the order issued by chief secretary Sitaram Kunte, Maharashtra continues to be “threatened” with the spread of Covid-19 virus, and therefore it is “imperative to continue emergency measures to prevent and contain the spread of virus”.

Therefore, the government “finds it is necessary to continue the enforcement of the current restrictions, along with certain additional restrictions, throughout the State beyond 7 AM on 15th May, 2021 till 7 AM on lst June, 2021 to break the chain of transmission effectively.”

Maharashtra, the most affected state with Covid-19 in the country, has arrested the growth of cases in the second wave and is now seeing a “decline”, according to health minister Rajesh Tope. However, he added that some districts continue to report higher cases. “Our active case count has come down from 700,000 to around 550,000. Though 500,000 active cases are a huge number, we are in a declining state now. However, cases are increasing in some districts in Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara in western Maharashtra and in Beed, which is in Marathwada. Therefore, we still have to take precautions and be on our toes,” Tope said. The state order also added that local disaster management authority should keep “special vigil” over rural markets and APMCs to ensure Covid-appropriate behaviour. It added that local disaster management authority can decide to add further restrictions with 48-hour notice. In case of cargo carriers, not more than two people will be allowed to travel in those vehicles. “If the carriers are originating from outside Maharashtra, they will be allowed with a negative RT-PCR test report issued within 48 hours before the time of entry into the state and will be valid for seven days,” the order said. Personnel engaged in airport and port services and needed for movement of cargo related to medicines or equipment needed for Covid management will be allowed to travel in local, mono and metro services, the order added.