Lockdown Rules In These Cities In Maharashtra Can Ease From This Date (But Why?)

Maharashtra, the presently worst affected state in terms of the pandemic, can soon ease lockdown restrictions from 15 July.

Growing Calls For Restrictions To Be Lifted

As active cases are dwindling alongside positivity rates, many sections of society have been calling for lockdown restrictions to ease.

The state govt had proactively set restrictions in place to curb cases and to keep the looming third wave in check.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will soon review the situation.

However, restrictions will not be lifted all at once, but on a case-by-case basis.

Vaccinated People Get Advantage

In the initial phase, districts with low test positivity rate (under 5%) for 2 consecutive weeks and high vaccination cover (above 70%) will open up.

Currently, restrictions of Level 3 phase are in place.

Visitors from outside the state will be allowed entry if they have received both doses of vaccination.

They will not be required to furnish Covid-19 test results either.

Current Situation

Present positivity rates continue to be high in Kolhapur (10.24%), Satara (9.14%), Sangli (8.81%), Raigad (7.88%), Pune (7.68%), Ratnagiri (7.29%), Sindhudurg (6.55%), Palghar (5.26%) and Buldana (4.57%).

Rajesh Tope, Maharashtra Health Minister, has suggested to the CM that either all restrictions should be lifted or a complete lockdown should be put in place since the general public is suffering either way.

He has also said that the state requires a minimum of 3 crore vaccine doses per month if it is to inoculate the entire eligible population.

But the present capacity is just 15 lakh people daily due to shortage of vaccine doses.

Train Services Unlikely To Resume Anytime Soon

Experts including doctors have urged the state govt to not be hasty in removing curbs since the pandemic threat is still very much real and should not be taken lightly.

It should be noted that among several factors, the reopening of trains in Mumbai precipitated the emergence of the devastating second wave in the state.

Therefore, the general public will have to wait for a few further weeks till they are allowed to board local trains again.

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