Mumbai:
Maharashtra on Friday decided to close all shops and offices except those providing essential services in India’s financial capital Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur until March 31 in an attempt to restrict the spread of coronavirus, the chief minister of the state said.
The state, which has recorded the highest number of confirmed cases in India, has excluded banks and shops that are selling essential commodities were excluded from the restriction, Uddhav Thackeray said.
Groceries, milk centres, pharmacies and banks are exempt from the restrictions which come into effect from today midnight.
We are not going to stop the train and bus services as of now," the CM said.
"Residents have responded positively to our appeals to work from home and crowds have lessened. But we need to be careful and have to take precautions for next fifteen days," Thackeray said.
Thackeray also said attendance in government offices will be brought down to 25 per cent. "The whole idea of closing offices is about reducing the crowd," he said.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Friday said that the number of positive Covid-19 cases in the state has reached to 52.
Rajesh Tope said three new positive cases – one each from Pimpari-Chinchwad, Pune and Mumbai – have been reported.
"So far two patients are critical. Five are almost recovered and will be discharged by Friday evening. However, they will need to be home quarantined for a week," he said.
In Maharashtra, 1,036 people have been tested for Covid-19 so far. Out of them, 971 tested negative. At present, the state has three testing laboratories. "The number of laboratories will increase by ten in a couple of days," Tope said.
The health minister said the state government will seek necessary help from the central government at the video conference meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.