Nagpur: Even as the district’s Covid-19 weekly test positivity rate (TPR) as per RT-PCR worked out at 0.8% on Saturday, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and collector’s office have decided to close down coaching classes and keep non-essential shops and restaurants (dining) shut on weekends from June 28.
Essential, non-essential shops, private offices, gyms, salons etc will be allowed till 4pm only.
Citing detection of Delta Plus variant in some parts of the state, the government on Friday had revised unlocking norms introduced as per level system.
New guidelines brought all districts under Level 3 irrespective of weekly positivity rate and oxygen bed occupancy.
Accordingly, municipal commissioner Radhakrishnan B and collector Ravindra Thakare issued orders for relaxations and restrictions in city and rural areas, respectively.
Radhakrishnan cited Level 3 rules for not allowing non-essential shops and restaurants on weekends.
“E-commerce items, services and takeaway, home delivery of food allowed on all days,” he told TOI.
Thakare said separate order was issued on Saturday to reduce timings of bars and wine shops from 11pm and 8pm, respectively, to 4pm on weekdays.
“These establishments will be not allowed on weekends,” he said.
The number of guests at marriage ceremonies has been reduced from existing 100 to 50.
At funerals, earlier permission for 50 persons has been revised to 20.
Probably for the first time, restriction up to 4pm has been imposed for marriage ceremonies.
Also, these ceremonies can be held for only three hours.
Also, the authorities have imposed a condition of operating gym, salons, spa, beauty and wellness centres without AC till 4pm.
Granted permission to reopen only a week ago, coaching classes will have to shut again from June 28.
Also, schools, colleges, religious places for visitors, political programmes, swimming pools, water sports etc will continue to remain closed.
Sources in NMC said that there was proposal to allow malls by seeking special permission from the government but the district disaster management committee (DDMA) dropped it in the meeting held on Friday evening.
Malls are not allowed in Level 3.
Restriction on free movement of people (curfew) will be in place in entire district from 5pm.
People can venture out on roads or in public places only for medical or emergency purposes.
The authorities have allowed Gorewada jungle safari, Maharajbagh zoo and Botanical garden to remain open till 4pm.
Pass will not be required for entering into district from other districts or states.
The civic body has continued with mandatory RT-PCR test for flyers from other states.
The government on Saturday released weekly TPR of all 35 districts in the state as per RT-PCR tests.
Earlier, weekly TPR was calculated on basis of all tests, including RT-PCR and rapid antigen tests.
As per government’s data, 238 persons tested positive from 31,578 RT-PCR tests in the district between June 19 and 25, for weekly TPR of 0.8%.
The district’s weekly TPR is seventh lowest in the state.
It was 3.86% between May 28 and June 3, and declined to 3.13% between June 4 and 10 and 1.25% between June 11 and 17.
At 0.2%, Wardha district has the lowest weekly TPR in the state.
Chandrapur’s weekly TPR is 0.6% and second lowest in Vidarbha.
Gadchiroli (5.9%) and Buldhana (7.5%) are only two districts in Vidarbha with weekly TPR of above 5%.
All 11 districts are in Level 3 as their weekly TPR is below 10%.
Considering the prevailing situation of the pandemic, the government and district-level authorities are likely to revisit the restrictions and relaxations on July 2.