With COVID-19 cases showing a steady decline, Maharashtra government, on Tuesday, allowed restaurants and eateries in the state to remain open till midnight. The government has also permitted shops and other commercial establishments to stay open till 11pm, with immediate effect.
The government, however, said all COVID-19 restrictions will be in place to ensure that there is no further spread of the virus. A government order stated, "In order to prevent the transmission of the COVID-19 virus, restrictions like regulating of time, scrupulous adherence to COVID appropriate behaviour, requirements of service providers as well as visitors to be fully vaccinated, restrictions on occupancy etc. have been imposed" on various establishments. depending on their nature.
The government observed that in the wake of the upcoming festive season, staggered timings for the functioning of establishments like shops, restaurants, and hotels will only lead to more crowding, and hence a decision was taken to extend the timings.
"Local District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) may restrict these timings further if so deemed fit due to any local requirements but shall not relax it further without consent of SDMA (State Disaster Management Authorities)," the order read.
A meeting of the Maharashtra COVID-19 Task Force was held in Mumbai on Monday, with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in attendance, to discuss the extension of the timing of restaurants and shops.
"We are slowly relaxing the restrictions and the number of patients seems to be decreasing. We are also reopening cinemas and theatres from October 22. There is a constant demand to extend the working hours of restaurants and shops," a statement from the CM had said on Monday.
