Unlock begins in Maharashtra, Delhi

New Delhi: Giving impetus to the Delhi 'unlocking' plan, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday announced that markets and shopping malls in the city will be allowed to open on an odd-even basis, similar to the strategy employed to beat air pollution in the national capital, as the city finds its way out of the devastating second wave of coronavirus. The standalone shops, however, will be allowed to open daily from 10am to 8 pm. Home delivery through e-commerce platforms has also been okayed. The Delhi Metro too will begin its run again, but only at 50 per cent seating capacity, announced CM Kejriwal. Private offices, said the Chief Minister, can be opened with 50 per cent manpower with staggered work hours. The work-from-home mode should still be used widely, he said. For public sector offices, Category A employees can work on all days, but all categories under them should work at 50 per cent capacity, said the state government.

In Maharashtra As the number of daily coronavirus cases and deaths in Maharashtra has decreased, the state government has approved a five-level unlock plan for the state.

Despite the fact that this unlock programme is based on the positivity rate and occupancy of oxygen beds in each district, medical experts warn that citizens should not let their guard down. Maharashtra still has 1,96,894 active cases, with a 1.7 per cent case fatality rate. The state reported around 15,000 new Covid-19 cases and 300 deaths daily during the past few days.

In response to the news of unlocking, Dr Lancelot Pinto, consultant pulmonologist, PD Hinduja Hospital and MRC, said that it is necessary from an economic standpoint, but that the danger is far from over. "With the knowledge that we've gained over the last year and a half, we need to do this (unlock)," said Dr Lancelot Pinto. Dr Pinto emphasised that as the state begins to unlock, allowing people to gather together, allowing crowding in halls, restaurants, and gyms, lowering one's guard when it comes to masks should not be considered, even in the most liberal unlocking scenarios, until the majority of the population is vaccinated.

"A graded unlock, with work from home incentivised and encouraged, and non-essential businesses encouraged to go online, should continue to be the aim, whenever feasible. With the knowledge, we now have about the virus's airborne nature, we also need to reconsider air conditioning and ventilation," Dr Pinto said. According to the state's newly announced unlocking plan, districts in Level 1 will have the fewest restrictions, while those in Level 5 will have maximum or near-lockdown-like curbs.