Maharashtra govt imposes 7-day lockdown in Nagpur; check out what's open, what's closed

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government on Thursday imposed a weeklong lockdown in Nagpur district. The lockdown, which starts on March 15 till March 21, has been imposed in lieu of the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the district. Essential services such as vegetable, fruit shops and milk booths will continue to remain functional as normal, the authorities said.

"Complete lockdown to remain imposed in Nagpur City Police Commissionerate area from March 15 to March 21," Nagpur Guardian Minister Nitin Raut stated. Raut added that essential services will continue to function in the Nagpur District.

The announcement of the weeklong lockdown has come a day after the Shiv Sena in an editorial published in its mouthpiece 'Saamana' warned of strict restrictions to curb COVID-19 spread.

The party wrote, "Is Maharashtra heading towards another lockdown? Cases across the country are increasing, and Maharashtra's contribution is major, which is a cause of concern... People should maintain self-discipline and put some restrictions on themselves. Take care, else lockdown or strict restrictions are unavoidable".

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has indicated that more districts can go under lockdown as COVID-19 cases in the state continue to rise in the last few weeks.

Upon receiving the COVID-19 jab, Thakeray had said, "In the coming days, there might be some places where a lockdown is inevitable. We will take the decision in the next couple of days."

Maharashtra on Wednesday i.e March 10 had recorded 13,659 fresh cases of COVID-19. This was the highest single-day spike of 2021 in the state. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the state now stands at 22,52,057. Meanwhile, in the Nagpur District, as many as 1,710 fresh cases were confirmed on Wednesday.

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