COVID-19: Maharashtra govt extends enforcement of 'Break the Chain' guidelines till May 15

In a key development, the Maharashtra government on Thursday extended the enforcement of 'Break the Chain' guidelines. The 'Break the Chain' guidelines that were issued by the government on April 13, and revised on April 21 will now remain in force till 7 am of May 15, keeping in mind the rising COVID-19 cases. 

Essential services and activities include : 

Hospitals, diagnostic centres, clinics, vaccinations, Medical insurance offices, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies, other health services, manufacturing and distribution of vaccines, sanitisers, masks, raw material units and support services, vet services, pet food shops, groceries, fruit vendors, diaries and all type of food shops, Cold storage and warehouse, public transport - aeroplanes, trains, taxis, autos and public buses, diplomatic services, pre-monsoon activities, all public services, RBI services, all offices of SEBI, transport of goods, water supply services, agriculture, e-commerce (only for essential services), accredited media, petrol pumps, all-cargo services, data centres, cloud services, IT services, govt & Pvt security services, Electrical and gas supply services, ATMs, postal services, ports, raw material manufacturing & packaging material.

Maharashtra's Revised 'Break the Chain guidelines'

• State-wide section 144 has been imposed and night curfew from 8 PM to 7 AM
• No one to move in public places without valid reasons, except people in essential services
• All public transport open fully - Autos: driver +2; taxi: driver + 50%, bus: 50% , 
• All offices to work from home except central, state and local govt, which will be working with 15% capacity but no visitors to such offices
• Private vehicles can ply only for emergency, essential services
• All restaurants, bars shut - only home delivery allowed
• All manufacturing units needed for essential services to remain operational with full capacity. Units that cannot stop immediately and cannot restart immediately may continue with a maximum of 50% workforce. Moreover, units providing accommodation to their labour in the same campus or in an isolated campus may continue to work
• Street hawkers to be allowed from 7 AM to 8 PM - but only for takeaways
• Newspapers, magazines can be printed and circulated - only home delivery allowed
• Entertainment places like cine-plex, theatres, Amusement Parks/ Arcades/ Video Game Parlours, water parks, gyms, auditoriums, clubs, swimming pools, sports complexes, shooting for films, beaches, gardens, open spaces all shut
• All shops, malls, shopping centres not performing essential services shut
• All saloons, beauty parlours and Spa would remain closed
• Religious places shut but the staff is allowed to function
• Schools and colleges shut, Pvt coaching classes - Exceptions include students of 10th and 12th, staff
• No religious, social, cultural or political functions allowed. District collectors allowed to give permissions for political gatherings where polls are to be held. Attendees capped at 200 if 50% whichever is less.
• Marriages allowed only with 25 people present and should be over within 2 hours
• Funerals allowed with 20 people
• E-commerce allowed delivery of essential goods and services
• Co-operative housing societies - more than 5 cases will be taken as 'micro-containment' areas
• Construction activity allowed on sites where labourers are living onsite

The development came after the State reported 63,309 fresh COVID cases and 985 fatalities, taking the State's COVID-19 tally to 44,73,394 and the death toll to 67,214. At present, there are 6,73,481 active cases in the State. 

(Credit-PTI)