Pune: An upsurge in COVID-19 cases in Pune, has forced the district to go under strict curbs. Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar chaired a review meeting on Friday where District Collector, Mayor of both cities (Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad), Divisional Commissioner, senior police officials and authorities of health department were present.
Various new rules will be imposed in the district in the view of surge in the new cases. Pune now has extended the closure of schools, colleges till March 21 in wake of the rising cases of COVID-19. Also, restaurants, bars and cafes will now to remain open till 10 pm.
WHAT ARE THE NEW RULES
· Hotels, cafes, restaurants will remain open till 10 pm with maximum 50 per cent capacity.
· Home delivery will be allowed till 11 pm.
· Colleges, schools in Pune will remain shut till March 31.
· Gardens, parks in the city will remain shut in the evening.
· All shopping malls, markets will remain operational till 10 pm.
· Coaching classes for competitive exams can function at maximum capacity of 50 per cent.
· Only 50 people allowed for wedding functions. Club houses will remain shut till further notice.
Divsional Commissioner during the media briefing said, "Pune is one of the worst hit districts in the country. Also, the vaccination drive is already started and we will increase the inoculation process."
The administration made clear that, those violating the norms have to face legal action.
Meanwhile, Pune district witnessed total 2,840 new cases on Thursday. Of the 2,840 cases, Pune city (Pune Municipal Corporation) reported 1,504 cases followed by 812 in Pimpri Chinchwad (Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation). Rural area also witnessed 388 cases while Councils and Cantonment reported 104 and 32 COVID cases respectively.
Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases around the state of Maharashtra, Pune was under a scanner to curtail the spread after the sudden surge in infection cases in the district. On Thursday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also cautioned that some places in Maharashtra will undergo lockdown.
Talking to media persons on Thursday, he said, “Some places in Maharashtra will undergo lockdown due to rise in COVID-19 cases. I once again request all to wear face masks. Travel only if necessary. The situation is yet under control but lockdown will be enforced at some regions.”
Maharashtra continued to record a massive spear in daily cases as the state added over 14,000 new infections in one day, according to the health department.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra, including many cities is witnessing a spike in the number of daily cases for a while now and authorities around the state have been enforcing night curfews and Janata Curfew to restrict the spread. Districts such as Thane, Nashik, Aurangabad, Dhule, Nagpur are under stringent night curfews and lockdowns to curb the spread.
