Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Vijay Wadettiwar on Monday said that the local trains of Mumbai might not open their doors for the general public for another 15 days as a precautionary measure against COVID-19.
“Social distancing is not possible in local trains. They will continue to ply for essential services staffers only,” he said.
The State Relief and Rehabilitation Minister also informed that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government is considering easing the lockdown-like restrictions in a phase-wise manner in districts where coronavirus cases have been declining rapidly.
“The government is contemplating relaxing some restrictions in districts outside the red zone after June 1. Out of total 36 districts, 15 are in the red zone (high caseload) and the curbs there could be made stricter,” he told media persons here.
Buldhana, Kolhapur, Ratnagiri, Sangli, Yavatmal, Amravati, Sindhdurg, Solapur, Akola, Satara, Washim, Beed, Gadchiroli, Ahmednagar and Osmanabad are the districts where coronavirus cases are still on the rise, the minister said.
Wadettiwar stated that though the demand for easing restrictions has been increasing, the government will monitor the situation for the next four to five days before announcing a decision.
Strict curbs were imposed across Maharashtra in April this year as the state battled the second wave of coronavirus.
On Monday, the state reported 22,122 new cases of COVID-19 along with 361 deaths.
Surjitt Sahani
