In the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic, Mumbai Police on March 15 issued orders prohibiting any kind of tour involving a group of people travelling together to foreign or domestic destination organized by private tour operators or otherwise. The welcome desks of all 94 police stations in the city have been equipped with hand sanitisers for visitors and staff, as also face masks for the latter in a bid to stave off Coronavirus. However, personnel at two of the stations Sahar and Airport are more vulnerable to the virus, due to the high connectivity with international as well as domestic travellers at the Mumbai airport. Picture/Anurag Ahire)
The city will soon have two more laboratories where samples for Coronavirus will be tested. Currently, testing of samples is only on at Kasturba Hospital. State health minister Rajesh Tope announced two more testing facilities in the city on March 15. With these labs at Haffkine Institute in Parel and at JJ Hospital in Byculla soon, the number of testing facilities for Coronavirus in Mumbai will go up to four. (Picture/Ashish Raje)
The orders came as the Maharashtra government ordered a shutdown of schools, colleges, malls, cinemas, multiplexes, public functions or any type of mass gatherings, till the end of this month. (Picture/Satej Shinde)
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has asked all licenced hoarding owners in
Mumbai to display messages till March 25, starting from Monday, on fighting the novel coronavirus outbreak. The directive was issued by BMC Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. (Picture/Nimesh Dave)
"Covid-19 has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation. Against this backdrop, it is need of the hour that an intense awareness campaign be undertaken to minimise the spread of the coronavirus," read the BMC's letter.
The Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo which has over 10,000 visitors on weekends will be closed till further notification. The Byculla zoo had around 3,000 visitors on the morning of March 15, causing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to request them to leave, and shut it immediately. (Picture/Ashish Raje)
The government is also intensifying its fight against COVID-19 pandemic, with Public Health Minister Rajesh Tope saying those who have been quarantined at home will be stamped with an identification mark on their left arm so that they can be located easily. (File picture)
BMC's Insecticide Officer Rajan Naringrekar said, "The World Health Organization has classified COVID-19 outbreak zones into Green, Orange and Red. We are in the Orange Zone where there are positive cases but no deaths. At present, regular cleaning in and around Kasturba Hospital is being undertaken." "At this stage, mammoth spraying of disinfectants in the entire city, which is spread across 437 sq kilometres, will be futile. The need of the hour is to maintain personal hygiene and in your surroundings." (Picture/ PTI)
The Siddhivinayak Temple, one of the most visited shrines in Mumbai, will remain closed for devotees till further notice in view of the coronavirus outbreak in Maharashtra, it was announced on Monday. The Tuljabhavani Temple, another popular shrine in Maharashtra located in Osmanabad district, will remain shut for devotees from March 17 to 31, an official told. The decision comes in the backdrop of the Maharashtra government appealing to people to avoid crowding and mass gatherings as part of measures to prevent spread of the viral infection.
Thackeray also said foreign tours have been banned and gram panchayat and other local body meetings have been postponed. From Tuesday, measures will be in place to stop the flow of people into Mantralaya, the state's secretariat in south Mumbai, the CM informed.
The Maharashtra Raj Bhavan tour for citizens has been suspended till March 31 due to the novel coronavirus threat, an official said on Monday. The tour of the sprawling complex, the residence of the state governor, is well patronised and 20 people are let in every day after prior booking, the official informed. (Picture/AFP)
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