In view of the growing number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced a slew of precautionary measures to fight the virus. He has ordered that all private offices, shops and commercial establishments should be shut down in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur till 31 March. Till now, 52 positive cases have been so far reported in the state. Out of the four deaths that have been reported, one was from Mumbai.
So, let’s take a look at what will remain open and closed and other measures taken by the Maharashtra government:
1) All workplaces in major cities in Maharashtra, including Mumbai and Pune, will remain closed till 31 March. This will be applicable in Mumbai, MMR Region, Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and Nagpur.
2) The attendance in government offices will be brought down to 25 per cent from the present 50 percent on rotation basis.
3) Thackeray said only essential services will remain open which include food, milk and medicines.
4) Banks will remain functional. BSE, NSE, commodity markets will remain open, Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said.
5) The decision to shut down public transport like buses and local trains will not be taken as of now. “Trains and buses are the city’s lifeline and cannot be stopped. I have been advised to take this step. But doing this will affect movement of those working in places which provide essential services to the city,” he said.
6) Maharashtra Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad announced that all exams of class 1 to 8 have been cancelled and all students will be promoted to next classes without the examinations. “Exams for class 9th and 11th will be conducted after April 15, 2020. Teachers, except of class 10th, can work from home. Two papers of class 10th are left and these papers will take place as per the schedule. These decisions are for SSC Board,” said Gaikwad.
7) The Brihanmumbai Municipal corporation, along with the help of Mumbai Police, is going to track the movement of the travellers who have been advised home quarantine using mobile GPS. After facing several cases of violation of 14-day-long home quarantine, city authorities, in a joint meeting on Thursday, decided to track the movement of people under home quarantine.
8) In order to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Siddhivinayak Temple and Mumbadevi Temple are closed till further notice. Several prominent temples such as Shirdi Saibaba Temple, Pune’s Kasba Ganpati Mandir, Dagdusheth Shreemant Dagdusheth and Halwai Ganpati Mandir have also shut down in an attempt to contain the outbreak of the virus.
9) Mumbai’s famed dabbawalas have also suspended their tiffin services till 31 March in view of the coronavirus situation.
10) With the closure of gyms, airports and film studios, Bollywood stars are also forced to stay indoors. Celebrity photographers in the city say they are struggling to come up with newer ways to keep their followers happy. Gyms, malls and screenings are the “hotspots” for photographers to click the celebrity as there is a huge demand for “who wore what” on social media.
According to the Health Ministry data, the novel coronavirus cases in India rose to 195 on Friday after 22 fresh cases were reported from various parts of the country. The cases include 32 foreign nationals including 17 from Italy, 3 from the Philippines, two from the UK, one each belonging to Canada, Indonesia and Singapore.
Source: https://www.livemint.com/news/india/mumbai-shutdown-what-will-remain-open-closed-explained-in-10-points-11584696627132.html
