Maharashtra Weekend Restrictions: Cinemas With 50% Capacity, Covid-19 Negative Report At Malls

The state government has, however, exempted offices related to health and other essential services. As per the fresh notification, the auditoriums and drama halls across the state should operate at only 50 percent of their capacity till March 31.

(Representative Image/Getty)

Mumbai: A day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray hinted at a lockdown in the wake of the alarming increase in coronavirus cases, the state government has as a precautionary measure issued a new set of guidelines and asked private offices and cinema halls across the state to function at 50 percent of their capacity.

The state government has, however, exempted offices related to health and other essential services.

As per the fresh notification, the auditoriums and drama halls across the state should operate at only 50 percent of their capacity till March 31.

The state government has decided to designate a team at the entrance of shopping malls to ensure the visitors carry a Covid-19 negative test report along with them. The state government has also decided to get the visitors’ Rapid Antigen Test done at the shopping malls entrances in case they do not bring along a negative COVID-19 test report.

This moves comes even as the government has imposed night curfews and weekend lockdowns in various parts of the state in the last few days.

Earlier on Friday, the Maharashtra Chief Minister while urging people across the state to cooperate with the state government in its endeavor to defeat the spread of the novel coronavirus hinted at a lockdown.

Maharashtra has so far recorded over 25,000 new coronavirus cases and the numbers continue to shoot up.