Thane cops force markets to shut down by 11 am as lockdown looms

Police men moved around the markets in Thane, Jambli Naka, Naupada, Ghodbunder, Kalyan, Dombivli and forced the shopkeepers to down shutters at 11 am.

All shops in markets of Maharashtra’s Thane were shut down at 11 am on Wednesday following state government’s decision to restrict the timings of shops including those selling essential goods to four hours from 7am to 11am across the state till May 1. The decision was taken with the aim to contain the continuous surge in Covid-19 cases in India’s worst-affected state.

Thane police shut down markets in the district at 11 am on Wednesday citing Maharashtra government orders.

Police men moved around the markets in Thane, Jambli Naka, Naupada, Ghodbunder, Kalyan, Dombivli and forced the shopkeepers to down shutters at 11 am. However, they said home delivery of goods was allowed between 7am to 8pm.

“We are following strict norms... We have asked to close shops by 11 am. However, these shops will be able to send deliveries at home till 8pm in the night. Our teams will be patrolling throughout the day to take action against those flouting rules under the relevant laws,” a senior police officer from Thane said on condition of anonymity.

With the addition of 4,599 fresh coronavirus positive cases on Tuesday, the infection count in Thane rose to 425,987, a district official said on Wednesday. As the virus claimed the life of 49 more patients, the death toll in the district went up to 7,031. The mortality rate in the district is 1.65%, the official added.

Maharashtra is likely to impose complete lockdown from Wednesday evening as the strict restrictions imposed last week have not yielded desired results. State ministers have demanded a 15-day complete lockdown, with chief minister Uddhav Thackeray expected to announce his decision on Wednesday evening, said state health minister Rajesh Tope.