Four Maharashtra cities including Mumbai, Pune Nagpur have been put under lockdown due to COVID-19 outbreak (Representational image)
Maharashtra government has announced lockdown in four major cities including Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Pimpri Chinchwad due to COVID-19 outbreak till March 31. Maharashtra currently has 52 COVID-19 confirmed cases, maximum in India while the national toll is at 195. As Maharashtra government has announced lockdown, all services barring essential ones will remain suspended. Meanwhile, more than 2.5 lakh people have been infected with coronavirus globally and over 10,000 have died. Out of 2.5 lakh, more than 80,000 cases are in China and over 33,000 cases have surfaced in Italy.
Informing citizens on shutdown, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said, "State government has ordered a complete shutdown in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, except essential services and public transport. This is not a holiday, avoid crowding. Banks to remain open in the state. In Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nagpur — which have international airports — all shops (other than essentials) and offices to remain closed till March 31, 2020.
All workplaces in major cities in Maharashtra, including Mumbai and Pune, will remain closed till March 31. The shutdown will be applicable in Mumbai, Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and Nagpur, CM Thackeray told informed on Friday. Government offices will operate at 25 per cent attendance, he added.
Maharashtra cancels final exams for classes 1 to 8, all students to be promoted to next class
In another major decision, CM Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government announced the cancellation of all exams from Class 1 to 8 and said all students will be promoted to next classes directly without an exam. "All exams from class 1 to 8 are cancelled, all students to be promoted to next classes without exam," Maharashtra Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad.
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ALSO READ | Coronavirus: Maharashtra cancels Class 1 to 8 exams; students to be directly promoted to next class
