Maharashtra govt extends containment & surveillance guidelines for COVID-19 till Jan 31

After the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare directed all the states to maintain a strict vigil over "super spreader" events during the New Year Celebration amid the COVID-19 outbreak, Maharashtra government on Wednesday extended containment, surveillance and caution guidelines for COVID19 till January 31, 2021. While stating that the state government is aware of the threat of COVID-19, it said that it has decided to extend its previous orders on Coronavirus guidelines for containment zones. 

The release read, "The activities already allowed and permitted from time to time shall be continued and all earlier orders shall be aligned with this order and shall remain in force up to January 31,  2021," the circular said.

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Maharashtra govt issues guidelines for new year celebrations

Maharashtra govt issues guidelines for new year celebrations

On Monday, the Maharashtra government unveiled guidelines for New Year celebrations to contain the spread of novel coronavirus in the state. It urged people to welcome 2021 in an extremely simple manner. The state government had issued similar directives for the celebration of all major religious festivals this year taking into account the COVID-19 crisis. It is mandatory for everyone to scrupulously follow all rules laid down by the Health, Environment and Medical Education departments and the respective Municipal Corporation, police and local administration. Currently, there are 19,19,550 novel coronavirus cases in Maharashtra while 18,09,948 patients have been discharged and 49,255 fatalities have been reported. 

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Here are the guidelines:

• Though there is no special curfew imposed in the entire state on New Year's eve, the people are expected to stay at home on December 31 and January 1.
• It is necessary to pay attention to avoid crowding of people in public places such as beaches, gardens and roads on December 31 and ensure social distancing and the use of masks and sanitisers. 
• The residents of Mumbai and other big cities, in particular, need to take precautions amid the crowding at places such as Gateway of India, Marine Lines, Girgaum Chowpatty and Juhu Chowpatty.
• Residents above 60 years of age and below 10 years of age should stepping out of their homes.
• No religious or social gathering should be organised on this occasion. Also, no procession should be carried out. 
• On the first day of the new year, many people visit religious places. At this juncture, they should avoid gathering at the same time and observe social distancing.
• Firecrackers should not be burst. People should follow the rules pertaining to noise pollution.

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COVID-19 outbreak in Maharashtra 

As the world continues to grapple with the Coronavirus pandemic, Maharashtra so far has registered over 19,25,066 positive cases, out of which 18,20,021 have recovered, while 49,373 people have died. As per the latest reports from MoHFW, in the past 24 hours, 3,018 new cases, 5,572 fresh recoveries and 68 deaths have been registered. Currently, the total number of active cases in the state is 55,672. 

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