Maharashtra sees severe Corona surge; Lockdown, curfew imposed

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and his government have introduced a slew of measures including reintroducing lockdown to help the state tide over the Corona crisis.

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray interacted with the people online today. In it, he appealed to all to strictly abide by the rules regarding corona. Thackeray also said that a decision on the lockdown would be taken in the next eight days. He also said that all government programs will be online. The Chief Minister clarified that restrictions have been imposed on all political, social and religious public events in the state.

The Chief Minister also announced a ban on agitations. The Chief Minister appealed to all political parties to support in this regard. He also said that a campaign would be launched to fight with corona called "I will be responsible to fight with corona". The public should wear masks. The Chief Minister urged to use sanitizer and maintain social distance.

Amid the increasing Corona tally in the state, the time has come for the administration to impose lockdown and curfew which is mostly opposed by the people. In the districts of Vidarbha, where Corona outbreak has been more intense, life has come to a near standstill. Amid the rise in number of Corona patients in Amravati district, the divisional commissioner has issued new directions. According to these guidelines, in the districts of Akola. Amravati, Washim, Buldana and Yawatmal, time for establishments to work will be from 9 AM to 5 PM. For the containment zones, the time will be from 8 AM to 3 PM.

Lockdown/curfew in Vidarbha

In Amravati city and Achalpur municipal area, a lockdown of 7 days has been announced by the administration. This is the first lockdown after the second Corona surge. The guardian minister Yashomati Thakur has taken the decision to impose lockdown as the tally of Covid-19 was increasing rapidly. The lockdown will be in force from tomorrow 8 PM for a week. Amid the growing number of Corona cases in the Akola district, the collector Jeetendra Papalkar has issued a curfew order every Sunday for 24 hours. Today, all the markets and shops are closed due to curfew. In every nook and corner, police are deployed. The district administration has taken this step to control surge in Corona infection.

In Nagpur also, the Corona cases are on the rise and hence mayor Dayashankar Choudhary has directed to close all the standard 5th to 8th schools in the city. As the examination for standard 9th and 10th is essential, the exams will be held with strictly adhering to Corona protocol. Tiwari said that, strict checking will be done in private coaching classes also.

No lockdown in Pune district, but strict implementation of
rules

The number of Corona affected patients is rising in Pune district. All the schools and colleges will be closed till 28th February to break the Corona chain of contact. From 11 PM to 6 AM, restrictions will be imposed on the loitering of citizens. Deputy chief minister and guardian minister Ajit Pawar said that, the reason for the surge in Corona outbreak is crowding and so be careful to limit the number of guests at marriage ceremony to only 200 persons.
Marriage halls in Jalgaon locked by administration

Corona tally is also increasing in Jalgaon district. As a large number of Corona cases are being reported, the municipal administration is taking swift action. On Sunday, the municipal administration locked marriage halls for defying Corona protocol. The municipal team pulled out guests gathered for a marriage ceremony from the hall.

Member of State Covid Task Force, Dr Rahul Pundit said that a new variant has been found in Amravati-Yawatmal which spreads rapidly. So, next week the number of cases is expected to rise. But there is no need to panic. Corona protocol needs to be strictly implemented next week at places like Amravati, Yawatmal and Nagpur. The government has been instructed in this regard.

The task force has also suggested the government to increase tracing and testing in Vidarbha including Amravati and places where cases are reportedly increasing.

Read: Maharashtra gears up for COVID vaccine administration