Nothing can shake the indomitable spirit of Mumbai. Hey, we call ourselves the city that never sleeps right? Well, it looks like we believe in our spirit so much that the chief Minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray has called for a lockdown in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur And Pimpri, starting midnight today until March 31st. This comes after the CM has repeatedly called for social distancing and isolation, but we just won’t listen. People are still going out for satsangs, parties, weddings and even heading out to eat street food. Maharashtra is currently one of the worst affected coronavirus states in India and the CM is trying to curb the spread of the pandemic as much as possible
What Is The Maharashtra Lockdown About?
You can watch the full video of the CM addressing the state here:
CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray addressing the State https://t.co/DebtiZhXPP
— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) March 20, 2020
As part of the lockdown, all offices have been asked to give a work from home. Those that are unable to do so, have been asked to shut down. The CM has also requested employers to not cut employee salaries at this time. Public transport like trains and buses will continue to run. Uddhavji mentioned in his speech that these are the lifelines of Mumbai and shutting them down would cause the lower income group inconvenience. He also addressed the financial crisis that the coronavirus has caused the state and is looking for ways to counter it.
While Mumbai is going into lockdown, Aaditya Thackeray mentioned that Essential services shall operate, any other services important to operate, the collectors shall specify from time to time. Groceries, milk and other day to day items shall be available.
Essential services shall operate, any other services important to operate, the collectors shall specify from time to time.
Groceries, milk and other day to day items shall be available. Citizens are req to reduce unnecessary movement.
Let’s win this #WarAgainstVirus— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) March 20, 2020
Health Minister Rajesh Tope said, “Today 3 more people tested positive, taking the total number of cases in the state to 52. Five people, who were admitted earlier, have now tested negative. They are about to be discharged but they will be kept under surveillance for 14 days.” Despite COVID-19 been declared as highly infectious, a lot of the people in the state are still taking it lightly causing the CM to call for drastic action.
Things To Do In A Lockdown
- Isolate Yourselves – D’uh! We sincerely request everyone to please practice social isolation. This is not the time to challenge the government
- Keep Your Daily Essentials Ready – While the government has instructed that groceries & medical supply facilities will be available, try to avoid going out and stock up on essentials. Remember not to overdo it. Everyone need to survive.
- Keep Yourself Occupied – You’ll be surprised at how much can be done by just keeping yourself occupied. Binge watch our Curly Tales videos, catch up on those movies you’ve always wanted to, clean up your homes and chill out.
- Try & Maintain A Routine – Just like our New Year resolutions, don’t let this fall apart. Try and maintain a routine and stick to it. You’ll be surprised at how much you can get done from home.
- Exercise – Okay, this one os not mandatory but guys, keep yourselves active, hydrate well and now is a great time to look up those online exercise videos to do at home.
- Be Kind – While most of us have the luxury of isolating ourselves, there are others out there like the grocery guys and medical staff who are risking everything to keep us stocked up and healthy. Please do tip them well and be appreciative of everything.
Guys, we hope that everyone remains safe, remains indoors and most importantly practices social isolation.