Night curfew in Maharashtra from Sunday, malls to shut

TIL Desk/National/Mumbai/ Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday ordered night “curfew” in entire Maharashtra from March 28 in view of the unabated rise in COVID-19 cases, an official statement said.

However, while the statement in English used the word “curfew”, an official statement in Hindi said the chief minister asked officials to impose section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure under which gathering of five or more persons is banned.

No clarification could be obtained from officials immediately. The order will come into effect from the Sunday night. Also, local authorities should ensure that shopping malls remain shut between 8 pm and 7 am, Thackeray ordered after a meeting here.

He also warned of stricter restrictions if people did not observe COVID-19 safety protocol, the official release said. Maharashtra recorded 36,902 COVID-19 cases on Friday, the highest one-day rise since the pandemic began.