Published 06:20 IST, March 23rd 2020
Shiv Sena MPs won't be attending Parliament: Uddhav decides, Sanjay Raut announces
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Shiv Sena MPs have collectively decided to not attend the parliament, party leader Sanjay Raut said.
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Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Shiv Sena MPs have decided to not attend Parliament proceedings, which are likely to be adjourned sine die on Monday. Sena leader Sanjay Raut confirmed that parliamentarians from both houses would not be attending due to the ongoing crisis. The decision has been taken by party chief and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Shiv Sena MPs to miss parliament proceedings
Announcing his party's stand, Sanjay Raut took to Twitter and said that the decision had been taken as a measure to fight the pandemic.
Keeping the Covid-19 situation in mind, all ShivSena MPs won’t be attending Parliament from today. The decision has been taken by our Party Chief and honourable CM Uddhav Thackeray for helping the government to fight this Pandemic. @CMOMaharashtra @narendramodi
— Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) March 22, 2020
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the total number of cases saw a surge with over 396 positive cases, which also includes foreign nationals. Maharashtra has reported the highest number of coronavirus cases, followed by Kerala. In addition, the Ministry of Health has stated that over seven people have died due to coronavirus.
Section 144 in Maharashtra
In a massive development, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray declared that Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure will be imposed in all urban areas of the state from March 23 in the wake of the novel coronavirus crisis. In addition, he also stated that buses and trains will be stopped after the imposition of Section 144.
However, Thackeray also stated that banks, essential services, and stock exchanges will remain open. Thackeray also urged people to work from home as far as possible. Stepping up measures, he also instructed that religious places should shut down with immediate effect.
Maharashtra government measures to combat COVID-19
The Maharashtra government has taken a number of steps to deal with the novel Coronavirus pandemic. Earlier, on March 13, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray declared COVID-19 as an epidemic by invoking the provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act. Moreover, he stated that gyms, swimming schools and theatres in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur, Pimpri-Chinchwad would be closed till March 30. A day later, the government confirmed that all schools and colleges in urban areas besides malls will be shut till March 31.
06:20 IST, March 23rd 2020