Read the whole text of notification imposing curfew in Maharashtra

Mumbai, March 23, 2020: After Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced statewide curfew in Maharashtra to prevent the spread of Coronavirus (total 97 cases now in Maharashtra), Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta issued a detailed notification in this regard.

Read the whole text of notification imposing curfew in Maharashtra

“Whereas the State Government is satisfied that the State of Maharashtra is threatened with the spread of Covid-19 Virus, which has already been declared as a pandemic by World Health Organization, and it is therefore necessary to take certain further emergency measures to prevent and contain the spread of virus, the Government in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 2 of The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, read with all other enabling provisions of The Disaster Management Act, 2005, hereby notify lockdown in the entire State of Maharashtra with Immediate effect till 31 of March, 2020, prescribing the following regulations and measures during the said period:

1. All state borders shall be sealed other than for movement of essential and
perishable commodities.

2. All public transport services including inter-city MSRTC buses and Metro
will not be permitted. Taxis with not more than two persons besides driver,
auto-rickshaws with not more than one passenger besides driver are permitted only for the purposes specified in the order. However, transport of passengers for accessing emergency medical services shall be permitted. Plying of private vehicles shall be restricted only to the extent of procuring essential commodities, health services and activities permitted under this order, and with only one person besides driver.

3. Operation of all inter-state bus and passenger transport services (including private vehicles) including those by private operators shall stand suspended.

4. Every person who is required to observe home quarantine shall strictly observe the same failing which he/she will be liable for penal action and shifted to government quarantine.

5. Residents shall stay at home and come out only for permitted activities while strictly observing social distancing norms and abiding the conditions stated at para 2 above.

6. Any congregation of more than 5 persons in public places is prohibited.

7. All shops including commercial establishments, offices and factories, workshops, godowns etc. shall close their operations. However, production and manufacturing units which require continuous process & pharmaceuticals, API etc will be permitted. Further, manufacturing units engaged in production of essential commodities like dal and rice mills, food and related units, dairy units, feed and fodder units etc. may function will also be permitted to operate.

Government offices, shops and establishments permitted to operate during this period with barest minimum staff and shall take steps to ensure social distancing such as painting of foot marks at distances of 3 feet from each other near check out counters. They shall also ensure proper sanitation in their premises and ensure availability of hand sanitizers/hand washing facilities.

The following shops/establishments providing essential goods and services shall be excluded from the above restrictions:

a) Banks/ATMs, insurance, FinTech services and related activities

b) Print and electronic media

c) IT and ITeS, including telecom, postal, internet and data Services

d) Supply chain and transport of essential commodities

e) Export and Import of agricultural goods and products, and all commodities.

f) E-Commerce (delivery) of essential goods including food, pharmaceutical and medical equipment

g) Sale of food items, groceries, milk, bread, fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat, fish and their transportation and warehousing activities

i) Bakery and veterinary establishments for the pets

j)Take-away/ home delivery at restaurants Hospitals, pharmacies and optical stores, pharmaceuticals manufacturing & their dealers and their transportation

k) Petrol pumps, LPG gas, oil agencies, their godowns and their related transport operations

l) All security and facility management services including those provided by private agencies to institutions providing essential services

m)Private establishments that support the provisioning of essential services or the efforts for containment of COVID-19

n) The supply chain relating to above.

o) All enforcing authorities to note that fundamentally strict restrictions relate to movement of people but not to goods and commodities as a matter of principle.

10. The Departments/Offices of the State Government and its Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) providing services shall be functional only to the extent of providing essential services.

11. All religious places of any denomination shall be closed by issuing suitable prohibitory orders.

12. During the lockdown period, steps will be taken to ensure that there is no disruption in the supply of essential commodities to the people.

13. All elective surgeries shall be re-scheduled in all private and Government hospitals to enhance the availability of health care facilities to COVID-19 patients.

14. All Divisional Commissioners, Municipal Commissioners and Collectors are directed to identify vacant places near hospitals for housing health staff in case of necessity. ..„

15. The Collectors of following districts which are at presently Corona disease free shall issue orders prohibiting any vehicular movements into their districts, Viz. Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur, Gadhchiroli, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, Solapur, Buldhana, Amravati, Akola, Washim, Nashik, Dhule, Nandurbar, Jalgaon, Beed, Jalna, Osmanabad, Parbhani, Hingoli, Latur, Nanded and Sindhudurg. This shall noy apply to medical emergencies.

16. All the District Collectors, District Superintendents of Police, Commissioners of Police, Municipal Commissioners of Corporations and other competent authorities in respect of the concerned institutions, organizations and establishments are hereby authorized and directed to take all necessary measures in a humane and judicious manner for enforcement and implementation of the aforesaid regulations and measures.

17. Any person, institution, organization violating any provision of these regulations shall be dealt under the provisions of The Epidemics Diseases Act 1897, The Disaster Management Act 2005, other relevant Acts and regulations there under.

18. No suit or legal proceedings shall lie against any person for anything done or intended to be done in good faith under these regulations.

19. All earlier orders issued by the various authorities will be aligned with this order by the enforcement agencies.”