BackMaharashtra: Pune sees fresh curbs as Covid cases surge. Details here
According to the new set of curbs, schools and colleges will remain closed till 31 March, hotels and restaurants will be allowed to function till 10 pm, and food deliveries will be permitted till 11 pm
PremiumDay after the Pune district on Thursday reported 2,840 new Covid-19 cases, the administration in the Maharashtra district on Friday directed schools and colleges to remain shut till 31 March and curtailed the operating time for hotels and restaurants.
As per the new set of rules, schools and colleges will remain closed till 31 March, hotels and restaurants will be allowed to function till 10 pm, and food deliveries will be permitted till 11 pm, Pune divisional commissioner Saurabh Rao has said.
The Pune administration will ensure that the preparations for Class 10 and 12 board exams will not be affected at this time.
Considering the recent spike in coronavirus cases, hotels and restaurants will have to operate with 50% seating capacity, and operators have been asked to put up a board displaying the number of patrons on the premises at any given time.
Also, citizens will not be permitted to wander on city roads unnecessarily between 11 pm and 6 am, Rao added.
Apart from this, only 50 persons will be permitted to gather at weddings, funerals and political and other social events, the official said, adding that stringent action will be taken by the police in case of violations.
All public gardens and parks in Pune city will remain closed in the evenings, while they will be kept open in the mornings for "serious" morning walkers, he said.
Malls and multiplexes will be allowed to operate till 11 pm, he said.
The decision to impose additional curbs was taken during a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who is also the guardian minister of the district.
The authorities have also held a detailed discussion on COVID-19 vaccination in the city, Rao said.
"As Pune city is witnessing a rise in active cases and daily count of infections is also high, the authorities plan to send a proposal to the Centre seeking a policy decision to inoculate people above the age of 18 in Pune, as an exception," the official said.
If the Centre decides to allocate additional vaccine doses, the preparedness of the local administration was also reviewed, he said.
"According to the experts, if we inoculate people above 18 in Pune, we will be able to bring down the second wave of the pandemic here," he added.
Pune district reported as many as 2,840 fresh coronavirus cases on Thursday, which pushed its overall infection tally to 4,28,344.
The death toll reached 9,356 with 15 patients succumbing to the infection.
"Out of the total number of cases reported during the day, 1,504 were from the areas located within the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits, where the tally has reached 2,13,025," the official said, adding that 675 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day.
With 815 new cases reported in the neighbouring industrial township of Pimpri Chinchwad, the coronavirus count there stands at 1,11,515, he added.
Expressing concern over the rise in active Covid-19 cases in a few states, including Maharashtra, the government has advised people to be "careful and watchful" and not lower guard as "the pandemic is not yet over."
At a press conference, NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr VK Paul termed the coronavirus situation, especially in Maharashtra, "worrisome".
With agency inputs
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