All Mumbai offices shut till Mar 31; 5 more cases in state
nMUMBAI: All workplaces in Maharashtra’s major cities, including Mumbai and Pune, will remain closed till March 31, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray announced on Friday, even as India’s worst-hit state reported five more cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), taking the number of infected people to 53.
The shutdown, which exempts essential services and public transport, will come into effect from midnight and will apply to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Pune, Pimpri-chinchwad and Nagpur.
Other than Mumbai, the MMR includes seven other cities — Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyandombivli, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi, Mira-bhayander, Vasaivirar — and nine municipal council areas.
The government didn’t suspend suburban bus and train services but said it will be forced to snap mass transit services if the crowds didn’t abate.
Following Thackeray’s diktat, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), too, asked all corporate offices and establishments to remain shut, but didn’t specify a date.
Thackeray did not suspend suburban train and city bus services, pointing out that it could hamper the commuting of those providing essential services.
The CM also said the government will operate with only 25% of its workforce, bringing it down from 50% announced last week.
“There have been demands to shut down trains, buses, etc. This may be a relevant suggestion, but what about people who are part of critical services such as doctors, nurses, civic employees, among others. How will they travel? So, we have decided that as of now, we won’t shut down trains or buses,” said Thackeray in his video address via Facebook.
The chief minister was flanked by public health minister Rajesh Tope and chief secretary Ajoy Mehta.
Essential services, including milk shops, grocery stores, medical shops, banks, petrol pumps will continue to function, Thackeray said.
Stock exchanges, clearing corporations, depositories, stockbrokers and Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi)-registered participants, operating through these institutions, will be exempt from the shutdown, the chief minister’s office announced.
Thackeray expressed concern over the crowds in Mumbai suburban trains and buses.
In his address to the state, he said that staying at home was the only “weapon” in the fight against Covid-19, which he again termed a “war-like situation”.
“This is not a holiday, it is a shutdown in your interest, so avoid venturing out,” the CM said, adding that train and bus services will have to be stopped if the crowds did not go down substantially.