Lockdown extended in Maha till June 15
Borders of districts having 20 per cent positivity rate will be sealed
With the coronavirus cases on rise in rural areas of the state, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has announced a new drive ‘CoronaMukta Gaon’ (Covid-free village) in Mahrashtra. If villages in the state become corona-free, the entire state will inevitably get rid of the virus, he said on Sunday.
The coronavirus cases in Maharashtra state are on decline in recent days.
However, while the Covid-19 pandemic in urban areas has seen a drop, the rural areas have witnessed a gradual rise. The new drive is aimed at bringing the coronavirus cases in rural areas under control.
While announcing the corona-free village drive in a virtual address to the state, Mr Thackeray specially mentioned the villages in Ahmednagar and
Solapur districts, which have managed to become free of pandemic. “People like Popatrao, Ruturaj Deshmukh, Komal Tai have made commendable efforts in eradicating coronavirus from their villages. If we fight the pandemic in a disciplined manner like them, we can also make villages in the state corona-free,” he said. The CM also extended the lockdown-like restrictions in the state till June 15. However, the restrictions will not be uniform throughout the state, but they will vary in cities and districts according to the positivity rate and the availability of oxygen beds, he added.
At the places, where the positivity rate is 10 per cent, the State government has increased the timings of shops of essential commodities from 7 am to 2 pm. The deadline earlier was only up to 11 am. The borders of districts having 20 per cent positivity rate will be sealed and the entry-exit from these districts will not be allowed.