On Wednesday night, the Maharashtra government announced a series of restrictions called “Breaking the Chain” to combat the deadly increase in coronavirus cases in the state. Under these measures, participation in private government centers and government offices not related to the management of the COVID-19 pandemic will be limited to 15%. The measures entered into force at 20: 00 on Thursday and will remain in force until 7:00 on 1 May.
Attendance at weddings and wedding ceremonies will be limited to 25% and will be held as a single event in a single hall and cannot be extended beyond 2 hours. Offices providing basic services will have to operate at less than the required capacity, and no more than 50% of their staff will be present at any given time. The presence of people who provide these services is minimized and only increased to 100 percent when required.
Violations of the rule, according to the order of the state government, are punishable by a fine of 5,000 rupees. Private vehicles are not allowed to travel between towns and counties, unless it is an emergency requiring basic services. The use of private vehicles, with the exception of buses, is only permitted for basic services and for valid reasons, such as medical emergencies, if the driver is within 50% of the seat capacity. Violations of this rule are punishable by a fine of up to 10,000 rupees per year. Private buses may operate with a maximum of 50 percent of the seating capacity for standing passengers.
Urban and supraregional bus services are regulated and bus operators are instructed not to make more than two stops outside the city. Service providers who violate these policies can be fined up to 10,000 rupees, and repeated defaults can result in license revocation until the end of the pandemic. The use of public transport is limited to government, state, central and local personnel, medical personnel including doctors, paramedics and laboratory technicians, persons in need of medical treatment, and able persons and their companions.
Long-standing rules have been enforced on state buses, whose capacity is limited to 50 percent. All groups of people must have a valid ID. In state-operated private buses, passengers must receive a hand stamp from the bus company indicating the 14-day quarantine at home, or they must undergo a mandatory random antigen rapid test for all passengers.
On Wednesday, Maharashtra, the worst-hit state in the country, reported more than 67,000 new cases of COVID and 568 deaths – most in one day – linked to the virus in the past 24 hours. Mumbai recorded 7,684 cases and 62 deaths in the past 24 hours, followed by Nagpur with 7,555 cases and 41 deaths. Nashik, where 24 people died today due to an oxygen supply disruption caused by a leak in a tanker, reported 6,703 cases and 29 deaths. Pune remained the second most affected city with 10,852 cases and 35 deaths.
MUMBAI – Maharashtra’s government on Wednesday night announced a series of restrictions called “Breaking the Chain” to combat the deadly rise in coronavirus cases in the state. The measures entered into force at 20: 00 on Thursday and will remain in force until 7: 00 on 1 May.
Participation in weddings and wedding ceremonies will be limited to 25% and will be held as a single event in a single hall and cannot be extended beyond 2 hours. The presence of people providing basic services is minimised and can only be increased to 100 per cent if required. Under the new rules, participation in private and state centres and government agencies not linked to the management of the COVID 19 pandemic will be capped at 15%. Offices providing basic services can operate at less than the required capacity if, at a given time, no more than 50% of their workforce is present.
Violations of the rule, according to the order of the state government, are punishable by a fine of 5,000 rupees. Private vehicles are not allowed to travel between towns and counties, unless it is an emergency requiring basic services. The use of private vehicles, with the exception of buses, is only permitted for basic services and for valid reasons, such as medical emergencies, if the driver is within 50% of the seat capacity. Violations of this rule are punishable by a fine of up to 10,000 rupees per year. Private buses may operate with a maximum of 50 percent of the seating capacity for standing passengers.
Urban and supraregional bus services are regulated and bus operators are instructed not to make more than two stops outside the city. Service providers who violate these policies can be fined up to 10,000 rupees, and repeated defaults can result in license revocation until the end of the pandemic. The use of public transport is limited to government, state, central and local personnel, medical personnel including doctors, paramedics and laboratory technicians, persons in need of medical treatment, and able persons and their companions.
Long-standing rules have been enforced on state buses, whose capacity is limited to 50 percent. All groups of people must have a valid ID. In state-operated private buses, passengers must receive a hand stamp from the bus company indicating the 14-day quarantine at home, or they must undergo a mandatory random antigen rapid test for all passengers.
On Wednesday, Maharashtra, the country’s worst-hit state, reported 67,000 new cases of COVID and 568 deaths – most in one day – linked to the virus in the past 24 hours. Mumbai recorded 7,684 cases and 62 deaths in the past 24 hours, followed by Nagpur with 7,555 cases and 41 deaths. Nashik, where 24 people died today due to an oxygen supply disruption caused by a leak in a tanker, reported 6,703 cases and 29 deaths. Pune remained the second most affected city with 10,852 cases and 35 deaths. Prime Minister Uddhav Thackeray had previously announced a nighttime curfew and a weekend curfew to curb the virus’s growth, but it appeared to have had no effect.
