Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday announced that the government would impose strict restrictions in the state in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases. The CM said that the restrictions will come into effect from Wednesday (April 14), 8pm to curb the further spread of Coronavirus.
According to the new SOPs and guidelines, the cinema halls, theatres, auditoriums, amusement parks, gyms and sports complexes will remain closed. The shooting for all the movies, TV shows and ads will not be allowed. The shops, malls and shopping centres which are not performing essential services will also remain closed in the state from April 14 (8pm) till May 1 (7am).
Public places like beaches, open spaces and beaches will also remain closed. “In case of any public arena that may belong to any of the uses mentioned herein, local authorities may decide about continuation or discontinuation of its use during the operation of this order,” the guidelines read.
The makers of Shah Rukh Khan starrer ‘Pathan’ was supposed to re-start the shoot of their film after taking a two-day break. A reliable source had informed ABP News, “If the Maharashtra government decides not to impose lockdown on Wednesday, then shoot will start again with all the stars of 'Pathan' as per the schedule.”
The shoots for many films and TV shows are going in full-swing in Mumbai. Last year, GECs ran repeat telecasts of their popular shows after the bank of episodes was over.
The shoot for films like 'Ram Setu' and 'Alia Bhatt' were stalled after the respective lead stars Akshay Kumar and Alia Bhatt tested positive for COVID-19. The entertainment industry was severly affected by the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 as the shoot for all the films, shows and ads was halted for severel months, resulting in losses worth crores.
On a related note, the Maharashtra government has postponed the state board exams of Classes 10 and 12 due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. The exams were supposed to take place in April 2021; they have been now postponed to May end and June for classes 10 and 12 respectively.