Maharashtra extends lockdown till May 31; red, orange and green zone rules will remain in place

The Uddhav Thackeray-led government in Maharashtra has extended the lockdown in the state to May 31, PTI reported quoting officials. The Lockdown 4.0 will be implemented with strict measures in the state including containment zones Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Pune, Malegaon, Aurangabad and Solapur until May 31. Same red, orange and green zone rules will apply as before. In areas that are demarcated as green and orange zones, relaxations will be allowed with guidelines.

Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta has issued an order notifying an extension of the lockdown, the official said. "The calibrated phase-wise relaxation/lifting of lockdown orders will be notified in due course," the order said. The present lockdown was valid till May 17.

"Lockdown 3.0 ends today. Lockdown 4.0 will come into effect tomorrow and will be valid till May 31. There will be some relaxations in the fourth phase," he said.

"The green and orange zones will get more relaxations, in terms of starting more services. As of now, only essential services are operational, he said.

'In exercise of the powers conferred under section 2 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1898 and the power, conferred under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the undersigned, in his capacity as Chairperson, State Executive Committee, hereby issues directions to extend the lockdown till 31st May 2020 for containment of Covid-19 epidemic in the State and all Departments of Government of Maharashtra shall strictly implement the guidelines issued earlier from time to time. The calibrated phase-wise relaxation/lifting of lockdown orders will be notified in the due course,' an order issued by the state government said.

The Maharashtra government's decision to extend lockdown comes amid the rising number of coronavirus cases in the state. Maharashtra is the worst-hit state by coronavirus pandemic with positive cases over 30,000-mark.

In a meeting with his senior Cabinet colleagues on Thursday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray discussed extending the lockdown in coronavirus hotspots. Thackeray had also asked the state administration to submit a report on what activities can be allowed outside containment zones in cities that fall in the red zone.

As many as 884 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in Mumbai on Saturday, taking the tally of cases in the city to 18,396, while death toll due to the pandemic rose to 696 with 41 new deaths. 238 patients were discharged from city hospitals during the day, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Of 18,396 cases, 4,806 have recovered so far. The BMC also said that of the 41 deaths recorded on Saturday, 14 had taken place between May 7 and 12.

26 of them were male and 15 female. 24 of 41 patients had comorbidities, two were below the age of 40, 27 were above 60 while 12 were between the ages of 40 and 60.

The nationwide shutdown, which was first enforced on March 24, has been extended twice, on April 14 and May 4. The third phase will end on May 17.

Maharashtra coronavirus hotspots: