The entrance and exit points of railway stations in Mumbai have been closed after fresh restrictions on travel to check the COVID-19 spread came into force on Thursday night.
Barricades have been put at the entry and exit gates of suburban railway stations to prevent unauthorised people from travelling in local trains.
Only a single entry and exit point will remain operational now until further notice for government personnel with ID cards and those engaged in emergency services. As per the guidelines under the state government’s “Break the Chain” order, only these people will be allowed to use suburban trains, metro and mono services in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region till 7 am on May 1.
Meanwhile, Railway authorities have decided to run only 80 per cent of the services and restrict access to the stations as well as automated ticket purchase to enable only essential service workers to commute by local trains. All those engaged in medical services – doctors, nurses, paramedics, lab technicians and clinical staff – will be issued travel passes on the basis of their identity cards.
Surjitt Sahani
