With new Covid-19 infections crossing the peak of the last year, the Maharashtra government has imposed stringent restrictions on movement of people enforcing Section 144 and night curfew in the entire state starting Monday night.

India reported 93,249 new daily Covid cases in the 24 hours to Sunday morning, and 49,447 of them were from Maharashtra.

Barring essential services all shops, markets and malls will remain closed throughout the day. All private offices will remain closed. Government offices will function with 50% attendance except those required for response to Covid-19 pandemic wherein they will work with 100% strength as per the decision of the HoD of the department/ office. Cooperative banks, PSU and private banks, BSE/ NSE, electric supply related companies, telecom service providers, insurance/Mediclaim companies, pharmaceutical company offices needed for management of production distribution will remain open.

Essential services include hospitals, diagnostic centres, clinics, medical insurance offices, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies, other medical and health services, groceries, vegetables shops, dairies, bakeries, confectionaries, food shops, trains, taxis, autos and public buses, services related to functioning of offices of diplomats of various countries, pre monsoon activities by local authorities, all public services by local authorities, transport of goods  and agriculture related services, e-commerce, accredited media, and services designated as essential services by local disaster management authority.

As per the government order, between 7 AM to 8 PM from Monday to Friday no more than five people can move together or gather in any public place. On weekdays from 8 PM to 7 AM and between 8 PM Friday to 7 AM Monday no one can move in public place without valid reasons or through permission.

The order comes into force starting Monday at 8 PM and will remain in force till 11.59 PM on April 30.

All beaches, gardens, public grounds will remain closed from 8 PM to 7 AM on weekdays and from 8 PM Friday to 7 AM Monday. Schools, colleges, religious places of worship, cinema halls, drama theatres, auditoriums, amusement parks, arcades, video game parlours, water parks, clubs, swimming pools, gyms, sports complexes, barber shops, spa's, salons, beauty parlours will be closed. All restaurants and bars except those inside the campus and integral parts of hotels will be closed.

No industrial process which is a net consumer of oxygen as a raw material is allowed by default from April 10 onwards.

All the personnel engaged in the service of religious places of workshop are allowed to perform their duties. Only restaurants and bars inside campus and integral to the hotels will operate and open only for in-house guests. Takeaway orders, parcels and home delivery services allowed between 7 AM to 8 PM from Monday to Friday. On weekends, only home delivery services allowed between 7 AM to 8 PM.
 
Effective April 10, all home delivery personnel have to be vaccinated at the earliest as per GoI guidelines or carry a negative RTPCR report which valid till 15 days. There will be a penalty of Rs 1,000 to be levied for personnel and Rs 10,000 on establishment in case of violation. Repeated offenders will have their licences and permissions withdrawn for operations till notification for Covid-19 epidemic remains in force.

For roadside eating joints, no serving of food, parcels or home deliveries allowed from 7 AM to 8 PM every day and waiting customers to maintain social distancing where violation will lead to shutting down of the vendor till end of pandemic. Effective April 10, mandatory vaccination or negative RT-PCR test result valid for 15 days required. Local authority to keep a closed watch through CCTV / adequate personnel and levy penalties for violations.

Outdoor activity allowed only 7 am to 8 pm from Monday to Friday and visitors to strictly follow Covid appropriate behaviour. Local authorities can close facilities in case of violation of Covid appropriate behaviour

Only two passengers are allowed in auto rickshaw, taxi can ply with 50% capacity, no standing passengers allowed in buses and general compartments of outstation trains. Penalty of Rs 500 to be levied for not wearing masks on all of above. Taxis and auto drivers can isolate through a plastic sheet or otherwise and all vehicles to be sanitized after evert trip. Starting April 10, all public transport drivers and other staff coming into contact with the public are to get vaccinated at the earliest as per criteria of Gol and to carry negative corona result certificate valid up to 15 days till such persons are completely vaccinated. Violators will be fined of Rs 1,000.

Private vehicles including private buses to ply normally from 7 AM to 8 PM on Monday to Friday and for the purposes of emergency or essential services for rest of the period (8PM to 7 AM on weekdays and 8PM on Friday to 7AM on Monday). No standing passengers to be allowed and effective April 10, all staff to be vaccinated or have valid negative RT-PCR test result certificate valid till 15 days.

Any cooperative housing society with more than five active corona positive cases will be treated as a micro containment zone with aboard outside gate to inform visitors and deny entry. All CHSs should ensure that all persons coming into the building on a regular basis get their RTPCR test done till they are vaccinated under government norms. All restrictions of micro-containment zones like control over ingress and egress will have to be monitored by the society. Defaulting society to be fined Rs 10,000 in the first instance and attract higher fines as decided by local authorities. Penalty can be used to employ supervising personnel to ensure compliance of SOP by the society.  

Only 50 people are allowed in marriages. All the staff serving visitors have to be vaccinated and till completely vaccinated they have to carry a valid negative RTPCR certificate. Violators to be fined Rs 1,000 and establishment to be fined Rs 10,000. Repeated offence by the premise will lead to sealing and withdrawal of permission to conduct any gathering therein till operation of notification of Covid 19 epidemic. Only 20 people allowed in funerals .All the staff to get vaccinated at the earliest and should carry a valid negative RT-PCR certificate.

From April, 10, everyone engaged in e-commerce to get vaccinated at the earliest and till vaccinated to carry a negative RT-PCR certificate valid for 15 days. Repeated offence may lead to withdrawal of licence to operate till the end of notification of covid -19 epidemic.

Printing and circulation of newspapers. Home delivery allowed between 7AM to 8 PM on all days and all persons engaged in the activity to get vaccinated at the earliest or carry negative RTPCR test result certificate which will be valid for 15 days starting April 10. All private coaching classes of any kind to remain closed.

For shooting of films, serials, advertisement of scenes with a large number of artists to be avoided. Permission of concerned disaster management authority will have to be taken to allow artists and staff inside quarantine bubble is created, and a negative RTPCR test has been conducted on each one before entry and a negative RTPCR test certificate valid for 15 days with effect from April 10.

All essential services shops to operate ensuring social distancing between customers in shop premises. Extra customers to be kept waiting with adequate social distancing with markings wherever possible. All shops to follow safety measures like interaction with customers through a transparent glass or other material shields, electronic payment etc. Essential shops owners and person working at all shops to get vaccinated at the earliest, as per criteria of Gol for expediting reopening same without fear of spread.

In case of offices allowed to function, local disaster management authorities may add exceptions if needed. Government offices and companies to conduct online meetings except with office staff and start e-visitor system at earliest. Visitors are not allowed in govt offices and companies and not without negative RTPCR report of within 48 hours on entry into the office. Private and government offices advised to get vaccinated at the earliest for expeditious reopening without fear of spread of Covid-19.

Factories and manufacturing units can operate with 100% capacity and have to scan body temperature of labourers before entry, without exception all personnel have to get vaccinated at the earliest. Where anyone is found positive, other staff and labourers who have come into active contact with him to be quarantined, unit closed until completely sanitized. Factories and units with more than 500 workers to set up their own quarantine facilities. Lunch and tea breaks to be staggered and no common eating places allowed and common toilet facilities to be sanitised frequently. With effect from April 10, all workers to get vaccinated as per GoI criteria and till vaccinated to carry a valid negative RTPCR test result certificate, valid for 15 days. If a worker is found positive they should be allowed medical leave and their service to be continued during absence for this reason with for full that they would have earned had if not infected.

For exams conducted by any board, university or authority outside the state and denial of which may lead to hardships for students residing in Maharashtra, may be allowed by concerned department under intimation to concern disaster management authority. All staff engaged for conducting Standard 10/12 exams and engaged in these establishments must be either vaccinated or carry a negative RT-PCR certificate valid for 48 hours or get vaccinated to speed up their reopening.

Construction activity is allowed only for sites where labourers are living on site. Movement to and fro from outside is restricted except for the purposed of material movements. Starting April 10, all engaged in the activity have to get vaccinated at the earliest and till vaccination, carry a negative RTPCR test result certificate valid for 15 days. Defaults will attract fine of Rs 10,000 for the developer of the construction site and repeated defaults will lead to closure of the site till existence of notification of Covid-19 epidemic. Any worker found positive will be allowed medical leave and cannot be discontinued for absence due to this reason and entitled to full wages that they may earned if not infected.

All industrial producers of oxygen to reserve 80% of their production; actual as well as capacity, for medical or pharmaceutical purposes and required to declare their customers and end users of oxygen supplied from April 10 onwards. All industrial process requiring net consumption of oxygen as a raw material at present is to be has to be done specifically with permission of licensing authority where all licensing authorities will ensure that concerned establishments either stop the process by April 10 or obtain explicit permission to continue.

All the fines collected will move to the concerned disaster management authority for utilization of the same towards better containment and treatment of Covid-19 disaster.

To fight the ongoing crisis the government sought support of all stakeholders. While industry associations have criticised the measures, cinema and multiplex owners have offered their premises for make-shift Covid facilities. BJP and MNS has pledged support to the government. Leader of opposition, Devendra Fadnavis said that BJP supports government decision to impose the lockdown and said that people must abide by new restrictions. He said that BJP workers have been asked to help people register for and reach vaccination centres so that we come out of the pandemic soon.

MNS chief Raj Thackery in a tweet too pledged support asking his workers to follow directives of the govt and cooperate with agencies.

The BMC has appealed to the citizens who are symptomatic not to delay hospitalization, waiting for their choice of hospital, and said that such patients should occupy beds wherever available as treatment protocol is same everywhere.
 
“We have operationalized additional 3,000 DCHC/DCH Covid beds including 400 ICU beds in various hospitals under MCGM in last seven days. As of morning of April 4, 4,160 beds were vacant for allotment. The number of beds available on our BMC dashboard for allotment has gone up from 12,906 to 15,971. We have also operationalised 30 CCC2 facilities for asymptomatic positive patients in last seven days with capacity to accommodate 4,600 patients. Another 18,300 CCC2 beds are available in reserve with us,” the BMC commissioner said in a statement.