Maharashtra: Lockdown-Like Curfew Comes Into Effect, Over 2 Lakh Cops Deployed - Check What's Allowed & What's Not

Maharashtra DGP Sanjay Pandey informed that a total of 2 lakh police personnel from Maharashtra Police will be on the streets of Maharashtra to enforce the lockdown.

(File Photo/ PTI)

Mumbai: With Section 144 imposed across Maharashtra as part of stringent curbs during the 15-day strict curfew aimed to defeat the increase in novel coronavirus cases, here are rules to be followed and exemptions granted during the period.

This comes as Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday announced tough restrictions than those in place since April 6 for the next 15 days, including a ban on gatherings and only essential activities to break the chain of infections.

Rules & Exemptions Amid 15-Day Curfew:

• All establishments, public places, activities, services, shall remain closed and nobody will visit public places without a valid reason
• Services and activities mentioned in the essential category are exempted from the order
• They are also exempted from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on working days and their movement, operations will remain unrestricted
• Essential services like groceries, vegetable shops, fruit vendors, dairies, bakeries, confectioneries, all types of food outlets and public utilities will be open
• Public transport, including trains and bus services, will be open
• People have been asked to follow social distancing norms, use face mask and observe state government’s directions
• Shooting for films, serials and advertisements will remain closed
• Divisional ACPs, zonal DCPs, and regional Additional Commissioners of Police are empowered to grant an exemption, permission in case of emergency and special case
• Violators will be punished under Section 188 of the IPC in addition to penal provisions under Epidemic Diseases Act, National Disaster Management Act

The order, which came into effect at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, will remain valid till 7 a.m. on May 1.

During a press conference, Maharashtra DGP Sanjay Pandey informed that a total of 2 lakh police personnel from Maharashtra Police will be on the streets of Maharashtra to enforce the lockdown.

Maharashtra, which is the worst affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, alone accounts for 43.54 percent of the country’s total active caseload. The state today recorded 9,925 fresh Covid-19 cases.