Maha allows restaurants to stay open till midnight

The Maharashtra government has permitted all restaurants and eateries to function till midnight, according to a government notification issued by state's Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte on Tuesday.

The notification comes a day after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray chaired a meeting with the state's COVID Task Force and directed officials to prepare guidelines for extending the operational hours for restaurants and shops.

“… all restaurants and eateries may be allowed to function till midnight 12 AM and all other establishments that have been allowed to function by the government may be allowed to function till 11 PM,” the notification said.

Meanwhile, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has issued a circular permitting all restaurants and eateries in Mumbai to function till midnight.

The BMC said the provisions mentioned in the Maharashtra government's notification under "Break the Chain" guidelines will be applicable "as it is" till further orders.

The civic body has further stated that COVID-19 norms such as social distancing, use of masks and other measures announced by the state government, will be mandatory.

The BMC warned of action against persons who violate COVID-19 norms as per sections 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act 2005, section 188 of the Indian Penal Code and other legal provisions.

Mumbai on Tuesday reported 313 new coronavirus positive cases and four fatalities, taking the tally of infections to 7,51,494 and the death toll to 16,188. The city is now left with 4,650 active cases.

According to researchers of the Chennai-based Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Mumbai's R-value, which reflects how rapidly the coronavirus pandemic is spreading, has dropped below one after being over one in the first half of October.

The Maharashtra government has allowed the reopening of amusement parks, theatres and drama theatres from October 22.

However, water rides in amusement parks have still not been permitted.

“We are slowly relaxing the restrictions and the number of patients seems to be decreasing. We are also reopening cinemas and theatres from October 22. There is a constant demand to extend the working hours of restaurants and shops,” a statement quoting Thackeray had said.