COVID-19: Strict curfew for 7 days in this district of Maharashtra - What's open, what's not

Amid a massive surge in COVID-19 cases, a strict lockdown will be imposed in the Parbhani district of Maharashtra's Marathwada region from March 24 (Wednesday) to March 31, the district collectorate informed on Tuesday.

District Collector Deepak Mugalikar had said the earlier measures such as preventing people from stepping out of their houses in the night i.e. night curfew didn't prove to be effective as the graph of new cases went up.

"The lockdown will come into force at 7 PM on Wednesday. It will be strictly implemented till March 31 with an objective to curb the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the district," Mugalikar said.

Parbhani district added 1,132 new infections to its tally since March 1, taking the cumulative count to 5,843 as of March 22.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope has said that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led government could impose lockdown-like restrictions in Mumbai and some other cities if the number of daily cases in Maharashtra remains in the range of 25,000 to 30,000 for the next few days.

“If the number of daily cases in the state remains in the range of 25,000 to 30,000 for the next some days, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government may impose lockdown-like restrictions in some cities, including Mumbai”, Rajesh Tope said.

Tope appealed to the people of the state to adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols diligently if they do not want CM Thackeray to impose another lockdown. Talking to reporters, the minister said that CM Thackeray has said that lockdown will be the last option in Mumbai and other cities if the fresh cases continue to rise.