Mumbai: Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases and overcrowding at public places, Maharashtra government has announced new timings for groceries and vegetable shops. All groceries, vegetable shops, fruit vendors, dairies, bakeries, confectionaries, all type of food shops, shops related to farm produce, pet food shops, shops related to materials for impending rainy season for individuals, organisations to be open only between 7 am to 11 am.
The order further states that home delivery from the said shops however may be permitted between 7 am to 8 pm. These timings however can be changed by the local authority. The order further states that all other conditions other than the ones specified in this order will be in accordance with the Government Order dated 13th April 2021 and additions and clarifications already issued thereof by the State Government.
The decision about limiting grocery shop timings was taken in a meeting chaired by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar on Monday but the government issued the order on Tuesday.
On Sunday, the government also issued SOPs for micro-containment zones. The rules in the Any cooperative housing society (CHS) having more than five COVID-19 cases, who are present in the society/building, will be announced as a micro containment zone (MCZ), the Maharashtra government has stated. The state government declared the standard operating procedure (SOP) for MCZs in an order issued on Sunday under the break the chain initiative, launched to curtail the rise of COVID-19 cases, which have seen a surge in the recent weeks.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra's COVID-19 cases and fatalities saw a small dip on Monday though the number of active cases spiked, health officials said.
After a new record of 68,631 new cases on Sunday, the state notched 58,924 new cases on Monday, taking its tally to 38,98,262. The state fatalities plummeted from up from the record highest 503 (April 18) to 351, taking the toll to 60,824 -- the worst in India.
