Mumbai's Dabbawalas to suspend tiffin services till March 31 amid Coronavirus outbreak

As coronavirus is spreading rapidly and has already infected more than 170 people in India, the iconic dabbawalas in Mumbai will be suspending their tiffin services from March 20 to March 31. The dabbawalas in Mumbai serve at least two lakh people across the city, but due to coronavirus scare, the union has decided to suspend all their services till the end of this month. The lunchbox delivery service is expected to resume from April 1. 

Maharashtra has recorded the highest number of novel coronavirus cases in the country. In a bid to contain the spread of the virus, Maharashtra has even shut down all educational institutions and several offices have also asked employees to work from home. Several public places including temples have also been closed as a precautionary measure to avoid massive gatherings. 

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Earlier this week, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that all malls except grocery stores which sell commodities of day-to-day need to be closed in view of coronavirus, while addressing a press conference in Mumbai. The government announced that all educational institutes including public and private schools and colleges will remain shut till 31 March in view of the rise in Coronavirus cases in the state. 

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Coronavirus outbreak

The government has stated that all exams of standard 10 & 12 and university courses will continue according to the schedule but postponed all exams up to Class 9. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray invoked the Epidemic Diseases Act declaring the Coronavirus as an epidemic - declaring all gyms, swimming pools, malls, theatres, pubs shut in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur, Pimpri-Chinchwad till March 31.

As of date, the total number of positive cases in India has risen to 185, with three deaths in the country. India has suspended all visas, barring for a few categories such as diplomatic and employment apart from keeping in abeyance the visa-free travel facility to OCI cardholders till April 15. India has also closed the India-Pakistan border and restricted passenger movement at the border with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar. 

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