Maharashtra govt offices to remain functional with 50% attendance from March 19

In a bid to keep a check on the crowd amid rising coronavirus cases, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday announced that its offices will remain functional with 50 per cent attendance from March 19. A decision was also taken to allow shops to open in two shifts--morning and evening in the state from Thursday.

The Uddhav Thackeray government announced that strict action will be taken against those hoarding essential commodities, masks, and medicines. The government has also decided to strictly enforce a ban on those who have been home quarantined and they will not be allowed to come out of the house.

After chairing a review meeting in Mumbai, CM Thackeray said that suburban trains, state-run buses and private ones will run only with 50 per cent of their seating capacity. In buses operated by Mumbai's civic transport undertaking BEST, commuters will not be allowed to stand while instructions will be given to them to sit at a distance from each other, Thackeray said.

Thackeray gave instructions to officials to ensure necessary medical equipment are available in clinics, medical colleges and health centres. Adequate isolation and quarantine wards have been kept ready to deal with the coronavirus situation, the CM said.

Maharashtra currently has 43 coronavirus positive cases, the highest for any state.