Don’t use ACs, avoid cooling, moisture: CM

As another precautionary measure to prevent the spread of Covid-19, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday asked people to stop using air-conditioners.

As another precautionary measure to prevent the spread of Covid-19, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday asked people to stop using air-conditioners. He also assured citizens that the supply of essential commodities will not be disrupted despite the 21-day national lockdown declared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.

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“Today, we have received a new advisory from the Centre not to use air-conditioners, if possible,” the chief minister said in his address to the state via Facebook. “Let fresh air come in your homes and avoid unnecessary cooling and moisture.”

In its revised guidelines, the state has directed all offices that are allowed to function to ensure social distancing by painting foot marks at a distance of three ft feet from each other near the check out counter.

The local administration has been directed to identify vacant places near hospitals to house health staff. The gathering for funerals too can’t have more than 20 people.

“Because the danger is huge especially when you cannot see your enemy (novel coronavirus) and where it is going to attack you. Thus stay at home. If you step out, the enemy can enter into your home,” Thackeray said.

Further, the government has now decided to crack the whip on those who violate home quarantine conditions with action under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.

It means, the offenders may have to face fine up to ₹1000 or imprisonment up to six months or both. Thackeray again asked companies and employers to show humanity and pay at least minimum wages to the employees even if they are not coming for work.

A 30-year-old man who had returned from Qatar and was put under home quarantine for a fortnight was found roaming the streets of Bhayander. Locals complained to Bhayander ward officer Narendra Chavan who informed Navghar police. Police charged the man under section 269(actions that might spread infection) and 188 (disobedience) of the IPC and sections of the Epidemic Disease Act and Disaster Management Act.

A 20-year-old man was arrested by Waliv police for running his bike over a police officer in Vasai (East) on Wednesday afternoon. The incident occurred after a lockdown has been imposed in the state due to the coronavirus outbreak. The accused, Sallad Rajhbhar, was also riding the bike without a helmet. The cop, sub-inspector Sanil Patil, was admitted to Vasai hospital with serious head injuries and his condition is stable.

IndiGo on Wednesday offered to support the government by offering its resources, aircraft and crew to help the country fight against coronavirus by ferrying medicine, equipment, and relief samples. In a letter to aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri, the airline’s CEO Ronojoy Dutta said, “We at IndiGo would be extremely proud to be associated with this critical life-saving activity…please be assured that all our employees are highly motivated in the service of this country and are looking for opportunities to contribute.”

The city’s petrol dealers association has written to the Mumbai district collector asking to operate only few petrol pumps at critical locations in the city. Citing that petrol consumption has reduced by nearly 90%, the association has asked the collector to also consider shutting petrol pumps in the city. The Petrol Dealers Association Mumbai has also stated that the petrol pump staff stay in suburbs and find it difficult to commute. The association has also said that their employees were being beaten up by the police.

Vivek Phansalkar, Thane police commissioner, has clarified that an audio message gone viral since yesterday claiming to be a message by him is a fake audio. The audio has led to panic among the residents as it talks about exponential increase in COVID 19 cases in the city and how people will die if they do not abide by the lockdown norms set by the government. “The audio clip on coronavirus being circulated is a fake. I have not issued any such clip. People should not panic over it. it is not me, neither my voice,” Phansalkar said, adding that the clip is fake.

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This year, the Shelkar family in Kalyan decided to celebrate Gudi Padwa by spreading the message of staying home and fighting the coronavirus. Vinod Shelkar, 40 and his son Parth Shelkar, 11, prepared a Gudi covered in paper, with messages written on it. The messages read “Go Corona Go” and “Avoid crowd, save yourself, save others”. “Staying home is very important, despite that, people are not following it. As we welcome the new year, we should also welcome the decisions made by the government and follow them,”said Shelkar.

The state government is exploring the possibility to keep the centers and eateries serving meals under the Shiv Bhojan scheme to be functional during the lockdown so that the needy can secure meals for cheap rates. “We will look into if we can continue Shiv Bhojan while maintaining social distancing. The timings [of the eateries] can be extended from 11am to 3 pm to reduce crowding.,” said Chhagan Bhujbal, food and civil supplies minister.

Durga Gudilu, a 28-year-old activist from the Vaidu community, which is a nomadic tribe spread across various pockets the city, distributed food grains and other essentials to over 150 families from the community, mainly living in and around Jogeshwari. “Most of them are homeless and live off the streets. With the curfew, they cannot go out and work. We thus pooled resources from some NGOs and distributed food essentials to them.”HTC

People entering or exiting Thane city will have to undergo temperature checks as the TMC has installed 12 scanners at entry and exit points. The corporation has also set up an eight-bed isolation ward in Kalwa and work on a quarantine centre at Kalyan Phata is in progress. Thane BJP corporator Narayan Pawar, has also demanded that TMC extend the deadline for payment of water, property and other taxes as people are facing losses due to the lockdown.

A Kharghar resident is giving food packets to daily-wage labourers and the homeless during the shutdown imposed by the government. Sujata Patil, 41, has been distributing packets of dal, rice and vegetable and she plans to continue with this till April 14. “While we have enough stock to last for a few months, it is difficult for daily labourers. I help around six people every day with food and will continue till April 14,” said Patil.

The state government has chalked out guidelines for corporate houses, NGOs and philanthropic organizations donating medical equipment for treatment of Covid-19. The government is accepting help in kind and keeping the monetary aide offered on hold. It has formed a task force of key officials to deal with donations extended by various organizations and corporate houses.

The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) gave shelter to 16 people from Odisha who were stranded as trains stopped due to the lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic. The civic body was alerted by Anjuman Islam Trust and they were taken to Jain Dharmashala in Kalyan and given food. “They had taken shelter at the station. We took them to the dharamshala,” said a KDMC official.

Abhay More, an employee of Bank of Baroda was allegedly lathi-charged by policemen on his way to work, near Makunsar village, Saphale on Tuesday afternoon. Despite checking his ID, Kelwe coastal police officers ordered him return home. The state has allowed banks to work fewer hours.

Residents of 27 villages from Kalyan, Dombivli and Bhiwandi have blocked the entry points to the villages to not let villagers go out and disallow outsiders from getting in. “We don’t want the disease to enter the villages. We have taken preventive measures,” a resident of Manere village said.