Suburban trains and public transport buses will continue to run
Juhu beach was deserted on Friday. Pic/Satej Shinde
With the country's highest number of COVID-19 patients here, the state government has taken a step towards imposing a lockdown in Maharashtra. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray declared on Friday that all private and corporate offices, and shops, barring those selling essential commodities in Mumbai, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Nagpur will be shut from Friday midnight till March 31. Suburban trains and public transport buses will continue to run.
Government offices, wherever needed, will have 25 per cent staff.
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Sources said the shutdown would be extended to the entire state if the COVID-19 cases don't subside. In Friday's order, there was no clarity about closing down hotels and restaurants where food and beverages are served. The earlier shutdown order on March 13 included schools, colleges, malls, pubs, discotheques, gyms, swimming pools, cinema halls and auditoriums, mill compounds, the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and amusement parks. Mass gatherings have been banned at public and private places.
CSMT was far less crowded during peak hours on Friday. Pic/ Suresh Karkera
"Some people suggested that the local trains and buses should be stopped. But then we realised that the employees who are giving us essential services use trains and buses to commute. The civic employees, hospital staff and ambulance drivers, travel on suburban trains to reach their work places. So we have decided to keep the mass transport services open and lessen the crowd by having only 25% staff in other government offices. All private offices, small or big, will not work from Friday midnight," said Thackeray in Friday's webcast.
Violators to be punished
City civic chief Pravin Pardeshi issued an amended order under the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 after the CM's address. He said violation of the order would invite action under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.
The order said establishments providing essential services such as drinking water, sewerage/sanitation, banking and the apex bank RBI, telephone and Internet, rail and transport, food, groceries and vegetables, hospitals, medical centres and medical stores, electricity, petroleum, power and energy, media houses, ports and IT jobs that support essential services have been excluded from the shutdown. Production/manufacturing of goods that need continuous process will work with 50% staff.
Pardeshi, who heads the city's Disaster Management Cell, said in case of a doubt he will decide what was essential service or establishment and his decision will be final.
Roads closed
Pardeshi also closed all roads near the isolation centre Kasturba Hospital and quarantine centres SevenHills and KEM Hospitals for traffic. The city police have been asked to restrict vehicular movement there and facilitate people who go there either for testing or quarantine admission.
Assistant commissioners of police, who have magisterial powers for their areas of jurisdiction, have been asked to advise people to not gather at beaches and public spaces.
The Eastern Freeway saw less traffic on Thursday. Pic/Atul Kamble
The fine for spitting in public places has been increased to Rs 1,000 and the civic sanitary staff and police personnel have been authorised to enforce penal action against offenders.
The civic assistant commissioners, zonal deputy commissioners and police officers who are part of the joint-action group have been given full authority to implement the measures very strictly.
What's open in Mumbai essential services:
- Drinking water
- Sewerage services
- Banks including RBI
- Telephone and Internet services
- Rail and transportation
- Food, vegetable, grocery stores
- Hospitals, medical centres, medical stores Electricity, petroleum, oil, energy
- Media
- Port
What's closed in Mumbai
- Vehicular movement around isolation centres, quarantine centres like Kasturba Hospital, KEM Hospital, SevenHills Hospital
- Schools, cinema halls, swimming pools, gyms, malls/mill compound, spa centres, clubs, pubs, discos, SGNP, amusement parks, etc
- Mass congregations, functions
- Beaches and public places
- All non-essential service providing offices
- Corporates and establishments to function with 50% staff
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