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Week-long lockdown in Nagpur from Monday: A look at what’s open and what’s not
Nagpur is contributing the most number of Covid-19 cases towards the state’s daily tally. On Friday, 1,729 cases were reported in Nagpur - the second-highest in Maharashtra - which pushed the division’s caseload to 248,912 of which 4,893 people have died.
Nagpur, one of the worst hit-regions in Maharashtra other than Pune and Mumbai, will be placed under a week-long lockdown from Monday, March 15, till March 21 due to a recent spike in the cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). It is the first city in India that is going back to a complete lockdown after authorities had started lifting nationwide curbs in June last year. The decision was taken after Nagpur’s guardian minister Nitin Raut chaired a meeting of top district officials on Thursday.
Nagpur is contributing the most number of Covid-19 cases towards the state’s daily tally. On Friday, 1,729 cases were reported in Nagpur - the second-highest in Maharashtra - which pushed the division’s caseload to 248,912 of which 4,893 people have died. Infections have been on the rise in Nagpur since mid-February with the daily tally breaching the 1,000-mark on February 24.
Hundreds of people were seen flouting social distancing rules on Saturday morning at the city’s Cotton Market. Images from ANI showed that many of them were not wearing a face mask or any face covering. A similar situation was also seen at a liquor shop in the city on Friday. Last week, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation had extended curbs on several activities till Sunday (March 14). These curbs, which ordered the closure of educational institutions, weekly markets, marriage halls and other social, political and cultural events, were first introduced on February 22.
Amid the worrying situation, here are the instructions that residents will have to adhere to during the week-long lockdown:
1. Shops selling essential commodities such as vegetables, fruits and medicines and milk booths will remain open during the lockdown. Liquor can be sold online.
2. Guardian minister Raut appealed to the residents on Thursday that they should not move out of their homes unnecessarily during the lockdown.
3. Private offices will be shut while government offices will function at a capacity of 25 per cent.
4. Nearly 3,000 police personnel will be deployed across Nagpur. Police commissioner Amitesh Kumar told Reuters on Friday that they will be monitoring traffic to stop unnecessary journeys and also check that the majority of the offices and shops- apart from medicines and groceries remain closed.
5. Kumar also added that hospitals would be functioning and people will be allowed to take the vaccination doses against the Covid-19 disease.
