Lockdown-type Covid-19 measures enforced for two weeks in Maharashtra

Amid an alarming surge in Covid-19 cases, strict fortnight-long lockdown-type measures came into force in Maharashtra on Wednesday evening.

Aimed to 'Break-the-Chain' of coronavirus, the government has asked people not to step out of their houses unless absolutely necessary.

Though public transport including the suburban train services of the Mumbai metropolitan region will continue to run, only people engaged in essential services would be allowed to travel.

Over Tuesday and Wednesday, there was a crowd in some of the vegetable and fruit markets, groceries’ shops, snacks outlets – and panic buying was seen in some places. The new measures announced by Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray after a series of back-to-back meetings came into force at 8 pm and will continue till 7 am on May 1.

Also read: All you need to know about Maharashtra's lockdown-like restriction

There was also a crowd of migrant workers outside important stations like the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Mumbai and Pune. However, only people with confirmed tickets were allowed to travel in trains. “Apart from regular trains, special trains as announced are being run to clear rush. It is a normal summer rush,” Central Railway chief spokesperson Shivaji Sutar said, urging people not to panic. He also asked people to report just 90 minutes in advance of the departure time – and people with only confirmed tickets must come to the station.

However, a lot of migrant workers are leaving even by road. “We have 60 per cent of our staff that are from different states," said Raj Sadvikar, co-founder and partner, Angrezi Dhaba.

"Since the time the lockdown was announced, there was panic amongst my migrants task force, owing to which they chose to return to their hometown in Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, and other parts of India to safety. Maharashtra which has seen a rising number of cases daily was also a reason for concern from the families of the workers. As of now, out of a total of 350 staff, 250 have returned irrespective of being offered food and shelter and 50 per cent of their monthly salaries,” he said

"No doubt, the surge in cases calls for stringent measures, but how is the industry going to survive just on delivery and takeaways?" asked Shivanand Shetty, President, AHAR.

“How is the Government going to compensate for this? This is a question which the Government has to answer to lakhs of families employed and associated with the industry. We got no support or relief package for the 7 months of lockdown last year & the result was evident with many restaurants shutting down forever, this time it is going to be worse. This year too our industry is being neglected and this is very disheartening,” Shetty added.

Siddhi Dhamane, a homemaker, said: “We need to have some stocks at home. The situation is worsening everywhere. We need to prepare for a bigger lockdown.”

Rajan More, a resident of Vasai, left for his native in Konkan region. “In cities, the threat is much more. I am driving down to my native today, will reach past midnight,” he said.