On Wednesday, Maharashtra recorded 9,558 new Covid-19 cases, while chief minister Uddhav Thackeray directed officials to ensure that economic activities in the state are not disrupted in the event of a third wave. Thackeray also instructed his officials to raise public awareness about vaccination and not to relax their guard because the number of cases had decreased.
When speaking to the collectors and commissioners of various districts, Thackeray advised them to hold talks with local industrialists in order to keep their factories running in the event of a third wave. “Those who are able to house their workers in their premises itself should be encouraged and if that is not possible, they should be accommodated in the nearby premises. The officials should offer all possible help to them,” said Thackeray.
“The two waves were very challenging and we were able to restart the economic activities to some extent. However, in view of the third wave, it was necessary to maintain the momentum of the economic activities and hence the movement of the workers needs to be curtailed,” said Thackeray.
Currently, an overwhelming number of businesses are facing huge losses due to the restrictive business timings and lack of sales. The Chamber of Associations of Maharashtra Industry and Trade (CAMIT), the apex body of traders in the manufacturing and retail sector, welcomed the move, but wanted the government to ease current restrictions. “It is a good move, but we need to assess how much it will succeed. However, the state needs to extend timings of the retail shops as the current one, of 7am to 4pm, is not enough. They should also allow common people to travel on trains,” said Mohan Gurnani, chairman, CAMIT.
