Maharashtra govt extends timings of hotels, restaurants - See new guidelines
Heeding to the demands raised, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday extended the timings of hotels, restaurants and shopping malls in the state till 10 pm with a 50 per cent capacity August 15 onward.
"Shopping malls can remain open till 10 pm in the state but visitors need to be fully vaccinated. They need to show their vaccination certificates before entering," Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Wednesday.
Talking to reporters, Tope said spas and gymnasiums will also be allowed to function till 10 pm at a 50 per cent capacity on the condition that the entire staff at these establishments has taken both doses of the vaccine.
Indoor games will be allowed but cinema halls and places of worship will continue to remain shut until further orders, the minister said.
Weddings in open spaces will be allowed with 200 people, while events can take place in closed halls with 100 people or at a 50 per cent capacity of the venue or whichever is less, he said.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had attended a meeting of the Covid task force on Monday evening, and discussed the possibility of granting more relaxations in restrictions while observing precautions. They also deliberated on tackling the possible third wave of the pandemic, requirement of medical oxygen and increasing the pace of vaccination.
For quite some time, restaurant owners, malls and other establishments have been demanding that the government extend the current timings.
On Sunday, Thackeray announced that fully vaccinated citizens in Mumbai can travel in local trains from August 15, but a gap of 14 days from the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine is necessary to avail of the facility.
Also, the state government had last week excluded malls, cinema halls, theatres, religious places and religious gatherings from the purview of relaxations.
The government had allowed shops to function till 8 pm in 25 districts, while excluding 11 districts where level-3 restrictions continue to remain in force due to a higher COVID-19 positivity rate.
