Maharashtra gears up to contain new Delta Plus variant

Even as flying squads will be pressed into service to enforce Covid 19 appropriate behaviour among people, essential shops and establishments will remain open till 4 pm on all days and suburban trains will be only be used for medical staff and personnel engaged in essential services.

Mumbai: On the face of multiple cases of the new Delta Plus variant of Covid-19 being reported in Ratnagiri, Jalgaon and other districts, the Maharashtra government on Friday issued a new order on the level of stricter restrictions due to contain the spread of this virus.

According to a three-page notification issued by chief secretary Sitaram Kunte on Friday, these mutations of the virus and its continual evolution may trigger unforeseen situations requiring stricter restrictions,

“Given that the virus causing Covid 19 is undergoing mutations in various geographies, and that these mutations are displaying more transmissibility and potential reductions in monoclonal antibody response, a state-level trigger mandating all the administrative units, irrespective of values of the indices of weekly positivity rate and oxygen bed occupancy percentage, to remain at a level not below 3 is to be in operation till withdrawn by specific order of the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA),” the notification further stated.

Administrative units will be under level 3 and above (4 or 5) until further orders, as per the new guidelines issued as part of a government notification, which also calls for pushing for 70% vaccination of eligible population in the state.

The decision comes over the rising number of Delta plus variant cases in the state, the government said.

Essential shops and establishments can remain open till 4 pm on all days in areas falling under level 3 of the five-step unlock plan. Similarly, non-essential shops and establishments can remain open till 4 pm on weekdays, it said.

Suburban trains will be only for medical staff and personnel engaged in essential services. The government order also said that flying squads will enforce Covid 19 appropriate behaviour among people.