After West Bengal, Jharkhand and Manipur, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Nagaland on Monday extended the lockdown till July 31 amid a steady rise in coronavirus infection. Telangana may also extend the lockdown. Assam has also imposed a total lockdown in Guwahati for 14 days from June 28. The fifth phase of the lockdown in India comes to an end on June 30.
Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Telangana have reported the maximum number of cases.
With 5,257 fresh cases and 181 deaths, highest in a single day, Maharashtra’s tally of coronavirus cases reached 1,69,883, including 73,298 active cases, and the State extended the lockdown till July 31. The current lockdown was to end on June 30. An order issued by Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta on Monday said wearing face covers or masks, maintaining social distancing, restricted gatherings, and other measures shall continue to prevail. The State Government has also advised that work from home should be followed as far as possible. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had on Sunday ruled out lifting the lockdown from that date.
Mall, theatres, multiplexes, schools, colleges, gymnasiums, swimming pools will remain shut across the State.
The essential services have been allowed across the State, while shops selling non-essential services are allowed with certain restrictions in red zones. The Government and private offices are allowed to operate at 15 and 10 per cent of their workforce.
It has also clarified that the permitted non-essential activities such as shopping and physical activities like jogging, running, cycling will be allowed only in the neighbourhood areas only.
Tamil Nadu which reported 3,949 new cases and 62 deaths on Monday, taking the total Covid 19 cases to 86,224, extended the lockdown till July 31. Tamil Nadu has chosen to enforce the lockdown selectively in a few Covid-19 hotspots. The decision was taken after consulting with medical experts in the state. Nagaland has also extended the lockdown till July 15.
In Telangana, the Government is planning to re-impose lockdown in Greater Hyderabad municipal corporation limits for at least 15 days. On June 26, many shopkeepers associations in Hyderabad announced a voluntary lockdown for a period ranging from seven to 10 days as a precautionary measure against Covid-19.
In Assam, lockdown restrictions were imposed in the Kamrup Metro district, including the State’s biggest city of Guwahati, for 14 days from 7 pm on Sunday. Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh also announced to extend the lockdown till July 15.
Last week, West Bengal and Jharkhand have extended the lockdown till July 31 with revised the duration of the night curfew. Chief Minister Hemant Soren had tweeted, “Considering the seriousness of the situation, the State Government has decided to extend the lockdown till July 31.”
In Haryana, the Gurugram administrator said it will enforce a complete lockdown for two weeks after it identified eight outbreak zones in the district.
In Delhi, where Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had ruled out another lockdown, the Government has declared that schools will remain closed till July 31 while online classes and activities shall continue.
