Mumbai to relax lockdown from Aug.1 amid surge in COVID-19 cases

Amid rising coronavirus cases in the country, the Maharashtra government has decided to ease lockdown measures from August 1. The decision to ease lockdown measures was revealed by chief minister Uddhav Thackeray during the state cabinet on Thursday.

Calling the measure ‘unlockdown’, Thackeray revealed that the primary focus of the government in the coming days will be strengthening the health infrastructure of Mumbai.

“I am not using the word lockdown. I call it ‘unlockdown’. Existing restrictions will be relaxed further. We are in the process of strengthening the health infrastructure in the Mumbai metropolitan region within a week. Our revised guidelines will be based on those prescribed by the ” said Thackeray.

However, Thackeray revealed that the central government will not grant permission to open restaurants, gymnasiums, and swimming pools as social distancing measures will be violated. He added that the decision to reopen the suburban train network will be decided by the railway board.

Thackeray also made it clear that more stringent measures will be adopted in the rural areas of the state to combat the sudden surge in coronavirus cases.

As per the latest statistics, there are more than 1.2 million coronavirus positive cases in India, and the death toll has crossed 30,000. Current trends indicate that the number of positive cases in the country will witness a dramatic rise in the coming days, as several states are easing lockdown measures to reopen economies.