Night Curfew Imposed In Maharashtra From Sunday In View Of Rise In COVID-19 Cases

Mumbai: Night curfew will be imposed in entire Maharashtra from March 28 in view of alarming rise in coronavirus cases, an official statement said on Friday.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray ordered night curfew from Sunday onwards, it said.

Thackeray also warned of stricter restrictions if the people did not observe COVID-19 safety protocol, it said.

The chief minister reviewed the COVID-19 situation in the state in a meeting with divisional commissioners, district collectors, superintendents of police and deans of medical colleges.

"I do not wish to impose lockdown. But there seems a possibility of healthcare facilities falling short given the rise in number of coronavirus patients," Thackeray was quoted as saying.

He asked officials to ensure availability of adequate hospital beds and medicines, the statement said.

Maharashtra recorded 35,952 coronavirus infections on Thursday, the highest one-day rise since the pandemic began.

The state added over one lakh cases in four days.

Maharashtra Issues Holi, Good Friday, Easter guidelines

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government on Friday said people should celebrate Holi in a simple manner considering the rise in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra and crowding should be avoided.

Holi will be celebrated on March 28 and Rang Panchami falls a day later.

"The festival should be celebrated in a simple manner, observing social distancing norms and without coming together in any way given the increasing spread of COVID-19. Rang Panchami too should be celebrated in a simple manner," the government said in a statement.

Noting that the state's Konkan region has a tradition of carrying a 'palkhi' or palanquin in a procession on Holi, the state government said this should be confined to temples and asked the local administration to do the needful.

"No big religious or cultural programmes should be organised on the day of Holi and Rang Panchami," the government added.

The state government also urged the Christian community to observe Good Friday (on April 2) and celebrate Easter Sunday (on April 4) in a simple manner in view of the spread of the disease.

The government said, if a church is spacious, maximum of 50 persons should attend the prayer meet there during the holy week from March 28 to April 4.

If the church is smaller in size, then a special prayer meet should be held in the presence of 10-25 persons, and four to five special masses may be organised depending on the need, it said.

It said adherence to COVID-19 protocols, including wearing masks, using hand sanitisers etc, must be ensured, adding that efforts must also be made to broadcast prayer meets online.

"No religious programme that can attract crowd in any way should be organised. Besides, procession should not be taken out," the statement said.