Due to an increase in COVID-19 cases, Maharashtra’s theatres, auditoriums, and offices will only be able to accommodate 50% of their capacity until March 31, the state government announced today.
In the 24-hour span ending Thursday night, Maharashtra recorded 25,833 new COVID-19 cases, the highest number since the pandemic broke out last year.
The order limiting people in theatres and offices comes only days after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray warned another tight shut down as a consequence if people will begin to break safety laws such as not wearing masks.
The order said, “All private departments, except those relating to health and other critical services, must operate at 50% capacity…”
It allowed government and semi-government departments to make decisions on employee attendance. Offices in the manufacturing industry, on the other hand, would have to operate for fewer employees.
“Manufacturing units will be able to raise working shifts if authorized by local authorities for the purpose of ensuring social distancing on the production floor,” the government said, adding that any unit found breaking safety standards would be forced to close before the government permits it to reopen.
Overall, there has been a substantial rise in the number of cases of mutant strains since their detection in India. In the last 14 days, 158 new cases have been registered.
According to the most recent data released by the Health authorities, Dharavi in Mumbai saw a surge in coronavirus cases following a six-month hiatus. In the last 24 hours, 30 cases were reported in the slum-dominated region in the heart of the financial city. The last time Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum, saw such a significant increase in one-day cases was on September 11, when 33 cases were registered.
The state is witnessing the second wave of Covid-19 surge, according to a study released earlier this week by a team named by the center. Experts attribute the corona spike to the resumption of Mumbai local trains and leniency in implementing the Covid-19 protocol.
