COVID-19: Maharashtra tightens curbs, orders grocery stores to function between 7-11 am

In view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases, the Maharashtra government on April 19, Monday, chalked out a restricted time frame for the functioning of the grocery stores. As per the time frame, the grocery stores will now function only between 7 am to 11 am every day of the week. This comes almost a week after the government released the 'Break the Chain' guidelines, in effect from April 14 till May 1, 2021, which had exempted the grocery shops along with shops of other essential goods. 

Maharashtra 'Break the Chain guidelines'

• State-wide section 144 has been imposed and night curfew from 8 PM to 7 AM
• No one to move in public places without valid reasons, except people in essential services
• All public transport open fully - Autos: driver +2; taxi: driver + 50%, bus: full seating occupancy only
• All offices to work from home except central, state and local govt, co-op, state and Pvt banks, offices of advocates - but no visitors to such offices
• Private vehicles can ply only for emergency, essential services
• All restaurants, bars shut - only home delivery allowed
• All manufacturing units needed for essential services to remain operational with full capacity. Units that cannot stop immediately and cannot restart immediately may continue with a maximum of 50% workforce. Moreover, units providing accommodation to their labour in the same campus or in an isolated campus may continue to work
• Street hawkers to be allowed from 7 AM to 8 PM - but only for takeaways
• Newspapers, magazines can be printed and circulated - only home delivery allowed
• Entertainment places like cine-plex, theatres, Amusement Parks/ Arcades/ Video Game Parlours, water parks, gyms, auditoriums, clubs, swimming pools, sports complexes, shooting for films, beaches, gardens, open spaces all shut
• All shops, malls, shopping centres not performing essential services shut
• All saloons, beauty parlours and Spa would remain closed
• Religious places shut but the staff is allowed to function
• Schools and colleges shut, Pvt coaching classes - Exceptions include students of 10th and 12th, staff
• No religious, social, cultural or political functions allowed. District collectors allowed to give permissions for political gatherings where polls are to be held. Attendees capped at 200 if 50% whichever is less.
• Marriages allowed only with 25 people present - all staff to have COVID-ve certificate
• Funerals allowed with 20 people
• E-commerce allowed delivery of essential goods and services
• Co-operative housing societies - more than 5 cases will be taken as 'micro-containment' areas
• Construction activity allowed on sites where labourers are living onsite

It is pertinent to mention here that on Sunday, the State registered 68,631 fresh COVID-19 cases and 503 deaths, pushing the cumulative count to 38,39,338 and the death toll to 60,473. 

(CREDITS-PIXABAY/PTI)