Pune: Restaurants, cafes and bars in Pune will be restricted to operate till 11 pm starting from Monday. The decision came afte Pune witnessing a sudden surge in the spread of novel coronavirus.

On Sunday, the Deputy CM of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar who is also the Guardian Minister of Pune conducted a meeting with district officials including Mayor, Police Chiefs of Pune as well as Pimpri-Chinchwad to review the situation of COVID-19 in the region.

Pune Divisional Commissioner Saurabh Rao during media briefing said, "All restaurants, cafes and bars will remain operational till 11 pm. The decision has been taken due to rising spread of the infection in the district."

There are currently 8,500 restaurants associated with Pune Hoteliers Association.

Recently, restaurants and bars were permitted to remain open till 1am in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits.