Maharashtra bans gatherings, shuts malls, eateries between 8pm and 7am

The government has restricted social, cultural, political, religious gatherings across Maharashtra.

In a bid to arrest the alarming rise in Covid-19 cases, the Maharashtra government on Saturday issued an order, banning gatherings of five or more people and shutting public places, including restaurants, theatres and malls, between 8pm and 7am, from Sunday.

To combat the rising instancing of people not following masking in public places, the state will impose a fine of ₹500 on people found without a mask.(HT Photo)

The state said the curfew will be till April 15. Maharashtra on Saturday reported 35,726 fresh Covid-19 cases, while Mumbai recorded its highest single-day spike of 6,130 infections.

Maharashtra also recorded its highest single-day toll since October 23, 2020, by adding 166 fatalities to take the toll to 54,073. Mumbai reported 12 deaths, while Nagpur district reported 20 casualties, including 18 from the city.

Akola city reported 17 deaths and its rural parts reported three deaths. Nandurbar district reported 15 deaths and Pune district saw 14 more deaths. Of the deaths reported on Saturday, 101 were in the past 48 hours and 26 happened in the past week. The remaining 39 deaths were before last week.

With festivals, including Holi, around the corner, the state had decided to restrict movement of people at night. The order, issued by chief secretary Sitaram Kunte, said those who flouted restrictions will be penalised ₹1,000. The state also decided to shut beaches, gardens between 8pm and 7am.

To combat the rising instancing of people not following masking in public places, the state will impose a fine of ₹500 on people found without a mask. Mumbai currently imposes a fine of ₹200. However, the civic body will issue a separate order increasing the fine to ₹500, officials said, in a bid to keep the fines uniform. The BMC is also expected to curb shop timings. The state order also said that any person found to be spitting in public places will be fined ₹1,000.

All restaurants will remain closed from 8pm to 7 am. However, home delivery and takeaway from restaurants will be allowed during the said time. The state has completely restricted social, cultural, political, religious gatherings across Maharashtra. The order stated that auditoriums and drama theatres should not be used for conducting said gatherings.

The state government has ordered all private offices, except those related to health and other essential services, to function at 50% capacity. In case of government and semi-government offices, the head of the offices will take a call on staff attendance, ensuring adherence to all Covid-19 protocol.

The state has also decided to not allow visitors, apart from elected representatives, at government offices. Visitors, who have been called for meetings, will be given special passes issued by departments or head of the office.

Also, the state capped the number of people allowed in wedding ceremonies and in funerals. Not more than 50 people will be allowed in wedding ceremonies, while not more than 20 people will be allowed for performance of the last rites, the order stated. Officials said that there were several instances where weddings saw 500-1,000 invitees—resulting in a super-spreader event during the pandemic—prompting them to cap the number of invitees.

The order added that the trusts of religious places have been asked to decide and declare the maximum number of visitors allowed per hour. It shall be decided according to the availability of space for movement and gathering with proper social distancing. Temperature checks and entry with masks have been made mandatory before entry into any religious place.

With an aim to not disturb the recovery of the state’s economy, the manufacturing sector continues to be allowed to function at full capacity. The manufacturing units, however, have been advised to reduce workforce to maintain social distancing and increase working shifts. The units can operate with following restrictions including, no entry without masks, temperature checks, ensure nobody with a fever is allowed, etc.

Besides Mumbai, the other major contributor to Saturday’s Covid-19 count include, Pune district with 6,591 cases, Nagpur district with 3,741 new cases, Nashik district with 3,515 and Aurangabad district with 1501. Close to Mumbai, tThane city and its rural areas reported 939 and 481 new cases, respectively. Navi Mumbai reported 827 new cases, while Kalyan-Dombivli reported 859 cases on Saturday.

Meanwhile, active cases in the state surpassed the 300,000 mark. The active case count in the state stood at 303,475, while it was 39,869 in Mumbai.

HOTEL OWNERS CRY FOUL

Hotel and restaurant owners have condemned the Maharashtra government’s directions, asking them to close their establishments by 8pm, stating that it will serve as death knell for their businesses. The Hotels and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRWAI), a body of hotels, said the move will be devastating for their sector.

“It is like a lockdown for us. Hotels currently don’t have business in the afternoon as workplaces are either closed or operating with limited staff. This rule will serve as a death knell for us,” said Pradeep Shetty, senior vice-president, HRWAI.

The Indian Hotels and Restaurants Association (AHAR) said it was not feasible to conduct business by closing at 8.00pm.

“We will see more hotels shutting operations in the coming days, and there will be huge layoffs in this sector. Hotels on rent will be forced to leave their premises due to lack of viability,” said Shivanand Shetty, president, AHAR.

The Kosmic Group of Hotels, which has four outlets in the city, said it is planning to keep its establishments closed during the night curfew. “It makes no business sense [to keep establishments open], as consumers tend to arrive after 8.00pm. It’s better to close down till the situation normalises,” said Romi Chadha, owner, Kosmic Group of Hotels.