E-Paper
Maha extends lockdown till June 1; negative RT-PCR mandatory for entering state
The states in the “sensitive origin” category are Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Kerala, Goa, Gujarat, Delhi and NCR region, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand
The Maharashtra government on Thursday extended the ongoing lockdown for two weeks, citing that it was “imperative to continue emergency measures to contain the spread of virus”.
As per an order issued by chief secretary Sitaram Kunte, the lockdown has been extended till 7am of June 1. The order has also mandated negative RT-PCR report for those entering Maharashtra by any mode of transport. The test should be done up to 48 hours before entry in the state.
The state government has also made all restrictions applicable to people coming in from eight states, which were termed places of sensitive origin. These restrictions include mandatory 15-day home quarantine even if they are carrying a negative report. People will be stamped on their hand for home quarantine. The states in the “sensitive origin” category are Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Kerala, Goa, Gujarat, Delhi and NCR region, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.
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The order stated, “The State of Maharashtra is continued 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, thoughout the State beyond 7 AM on 15th May, 2021 till 7 AM on lst June, 2021 to break the chain of transmission effectively.”
The order added that local disaster management authority should keep “special vigil” over rural markets and mandis to ensure Covid-appropriate behaviour. It added that local disaster management authority can decide to add further restrictions with 48-hour notice.
On Wednesday, the state recorded 46,781 new cases, and 816 deaths. The total number of Covid-19 cases in the state has now reached 5,226,710.
There are currently 546,129 active cases in the state of which Pune has the most, 103,067 cases, followed by Nagpur with 49,345. The death toll has now reached 78,007 with Mumbai leading with 13,972 fatalities, followed by Pune with 10,176.
