The Maharashtra government declared on Thursday a five-stage unlocking process that will begin on June 4 in the state. The level of unlocking varies from district to district, ranging from level 1 to level5, with level 1 having the most freedom.
Officials said the five-level unlocking strategy was created with the Covid-19 positivity rate and district medical infrastructure in mind. Though 18 districts with a Covid positivity rate of less than5%, including Thane, are classified as level one, Mumbai is classified as level two. These 18 districts will be fully unlocked starting tomorrow.
On the basis of the positivity rate and the occupancy of oxygen beds in the districts, we developed a 5-level unlock plan for the state. “There will be no restrictions in the districts with the lowest positivity score,” Maharashtra minister Vijay Wadettiwar said. Every week, the lists of districts that fall into these five levels will be checked for further amendment; districts will shift up or down depending on their Covid-19 numbers.
Restaurants, malls, stores, and public spaces in Level 1 districts would be able to reopen almost entirely. Offices and gyms will be able to reopen as well. Level 1 cities include Aurangabad, Buldhana, Chandrapur, Dhule, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Jalgaon, Jalna, Latur, Nagpur, Nashik, Yavatmal, Washim, Wardha, Parbhani, and Thane.
Level 2 districts will reopen in stages, with gyms, salons, and beauty parlours operating at 50% capacity. However, in level 2 districts, Section 144 will continue to apply. Districts with a rank of 3,4, or 5 can have certain restrictions lifted. The lockdown-like restrictions were enforced across Maharashtra in April, at the height of the pandemic’s second wave.
Because of these limitations, the state’s Covid-19 situation, which was the worst-affected in both the first and second waves of the pandemic, has stabilised in recent weeks. On Wednesday, Thane, for example, reported 568 new cases, bringing the total number of infections to 5,18,831. On Wednesday, Mumbai recorded less than 1,000 new Covid-19 infections, while Maharashtra’s daily count is about 15,000 infections.
