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Pune sees rollback of Covid curbs, with rider
PUNE Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad will once again be return to normalcy for a third time in 12 months, after deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, on Sunday, extended timings for shops, restaurants and public gardens
PUNE Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad will once again be return to normalcy for a third time in 12 months, after deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, on Sunday, extended timings for shops, restaurants and public gardens. The new guidelines will be effective Monday, with the most distinct element being weekend curbs rolled back after almost six months.
According to the announcement by Pawar, all shops in the two cities will now be open till 8pm, from the existing deadline of 4pm. Hotels and restaurants are allowed to operate dine-in facilities at 50% capacity till 10 pm.
Pawar also offered major relief to malls, which have been allowed to reopen till 8pm for fully vaccinated customers and staff members. Gardens, which were open in the mornings, have also been allowed to operate between 4pm and 7pm.
Sports activities in PMC and PCMC have also been allowed to resume throughout the day, except for swimming and sports which require close contact.
On Sunday evening, Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporations issued identical orders formalising the relaxations. According to these orders, both corporations will have a night curfew between 11pm and 5am, while assembly of more than five persons has been prohibited after 11pm.
Beauty parlours, saloons, spas, wellness centres and gyms have also been allowed to operate till 8pm at 50% capacity and with prior appointments.
While allowing shop owners to operate on weekends, the administration has asked them to follow their previous weekly days of closure. This means areas like Laxmi road and Tulsibaug will remain closed every Monday.
Curbs in the rural parts have also been eased partially. Rural areas in Pune district, that covers 13 tehsils, have been moved from level 4 restrictions to level 3, as previously announced by the state government.
The announcement of relaxations came with a warning from Pawar. The deputy chief minister warned that the relaxations would be withdrawn if the positivity rate exceeds 7%.
“The decision on relaxations in PMC and PCMC has been taken because the positivity rate has been dropped. All people have to use masks and follow Covid appropriate behaviour,” said the guardian minister.
The decision for offering relaxations came after a week of confusion, political blame-game and defiance by traders in Pune, who violated the 4pm deadline and kept shutters open till 7pm for the past four days.
Commenting on agitation by traders, Pawar said, “Nobody should try to break the rules. Administration has some responsibilities. No government likes to put curbs as it impacts tax collection and we also have to generate salaries and pensions of staff. But, health of citizens is most important.”
On their part, traders and hoteliers welcomed the decision saying they will abide by the rules.
The existing curbs were re-imposed in July after parts of state reported the Delta-plus Covid variant, forcing the government go into extra-cautious mode and roll back relaxations offered in June, when thee second wave had waned.
According to the administration, the positivity rate in PMC areas stands at 3.3%, while in PCMC it is at 3.5% and in the rural areas it is at 5.5%. While public representatives from rural parts too demanded relief on the lines of city areas, Pawar said these may get some relief next week, if the positivity rate drops below 5%.
