Security tightened after Section 144 Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) was imposed in Mumbai up to midnight on December 31 (New Year’s eve) in wake of rising Omicron cases in the state.
Speaking to ANI, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) police inspector, Nasir Kulkarni, said, “We will take action if COVID-19 appropriate behaviour will not be followed by people. We have instructed people to wear masks.” The variant has been rapidly spreading in Maharashtra with the highest number of cases across the country being reported from the state.
The official order of the authorities states, “All persons connected with the organisation of any programme, event etc as well as service providers and participants, visitors, guests, customers shall be fully vaccinated.”
All public transport shall be used only by fully vaccinated persons, it said, adding all persons travelling into Maharashtra shall be either fully vaccinated or carry a RT-PCR test valid for 72 hours.
“People up to 50 per cent of the capacity will be allowed to attend in case of any programme or event or activity or gathering, which is in closed or open space,” the order stated.
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If the number of people present at such events exceeds thousand, then the local disaster management authority will have to be informed about the same, it said.
“The order shall came into force in the areas under the control of commissioner of police, Mumbai, with immediate effect from December 16, 2021, and will remain in force till 24.00 hrs of December 31,” it stated.
Mumbai on Wednesday added 238 new coronavirus cases, which took its infection count to 7,65,934, the city civic body said. As no death due to the virus was reported during the day, the city’s death toll remained unchanged at 16,360, it said.
Maharashtra has so far reported 32 cases of the Omicron strain, including in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Omicron, classified as a ‘variant of concern’ by the WHO, was detected last month in southern Africa and it has has been causing alarm all over the world.
(With inputs from agencies)
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