The MVA Government on Thursday night began to enforce more severe Covid-19 restrictions on the movement of people and vehicles across Maharashtra till May 1, even as the State recorded a record 568 deaths and 67,000 plus infections for the second consecutive day.
Among the stringent restrictions the state government enforced from 8 pm on Thursday till 7 am on May 1 were: essential services providers can only travel by public transport, while the government offices - barring emergency services connected directly to pandemic management - could work only with 15 percent capacity or 5 persons, whichever is higher, and marriages could host only 25 guests with a fine of Rs.50,000 for violations. In the case of the Central government offices in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and the Mantralaya (State Secretariat) in south Mumbai, the department heads will decide on higher staff attendance after taking permission from the State Disaster Management Authority.
The public transport will be used for government staff, medical personnel or those requiring medical treatment. The passes/tickets/authorization shall be issued on the basis of a government-issued I-card only.
"All state and local government public bus services shall be operated with 50 percent capacity, not standees permitted, while inter-city or inter-district travel by trains and buses would be subject to other conditions," State Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte said.