Maharashtra Decides to do Away With all Covid-19 Curbs As Cases Wane; Mask Use Now Optional

The Maharashtra Cabinet on Thursday decided to remove all Covid-19 protocols, including mandatory wearing of masks, in the state in the wake of the declining virus graph. The move comes two years since the pandemic struck. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, in a statement, announced the removal of the Covid restrictions in the state, saying: “Let’s usher in the new year (Gudi Padwa) with this big decision.”

The new rules will be effective from April 2 when the provisions of the stringent Disaster Management Act and Epidemic Diseases Act, enforced in March 2020, will no longer be implemented.

Health Minister Rajesh Tope told reporters after the cabinet meeting that wearing of face mask will be voluntary from April 2.

According to the new rules, there will be no curbs on public movement, social, religious or political gatherings, weddings, funerals, visits to malls, cinemas, shopping plazas, hotels, restaurants, swimming pools, gyms, sports activities, travelling by trains, buses or other public modes of transport, to and from workplaces, parties, picnics, vacations, etc.

However, the state government has recommended maintaining social distancing and voluntary wearing of face masks as a precaution, though there will be no penalties for defaulters.

Back to normalcy?

Maharashtra had gone into a lockdown on March 24, 2020, followed by the nationwide lockdown, and after the first few months of stringent restrictions, the curbs were lifted in stages during the first, second and third waves.

Health Minister Tope said that while visiting crowded venues, it is advisable to wear masks and Minister of State for School Education Omprakash alias Bacchu Kadu said school students must continue with face masks as a precaution.

Maharashtra had on Wednesday logged 119 fresh Covid cases and two deaths. The state discharged 138 patients following recovery, and the active cases currently stand at 939.

Mumbai on Wednesday clocked 38 new cases of coronavirus, but no fresh death linked to the infection was registered for the third day in a row. With this, the tally of overall coronavirus infections rose to 10,57,953, but the death toll remained unchanged at 19,559, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) bulletin said.

On January 7, Mumbai had recorded the highest-ever 20,971 cases during the third coronavirus wave which started from December 21, 2021.

News18 had earlier reported that there is no critical patient of coronavirus admitted anywhere in Mumbai, which had reported the first case of Covid-19 infection in March 2020. In the second wave of the pandemic, the number of critical patients in Mumbai had gone up to 1,700. In the third wave, this number was around 1,500 but now, after two years, the city has not a single critical patient.

Maharashtra remains the worst-hit state in the country, which clocked 78,74,024 Covid cases in the past two years and a whopping 147,783 deaths — higher than countries like France and Iran.

(With agency inputs)

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