No lockdown in Maharashtra, Section 144 will kick in from tomorrow for the next 15 days

• The state of Maharashtra is not going into lockdown but Section 144 will be imposed across the state starting April 14.
• Delivery from restaurants and shops will be allowed between 7:00 am and 8:00 pm.
• The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray, also plans to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help out with the shortage of beds, medicines, and oxygen within the state.

The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray, has not put a complete lockdown in place, but is imposing some more restrictions to help control the spread of COVID-19. “These restrictions will be very strict,” he said in a televised address to the state.

Starting tomorrow, April 14 at 8:00 pm, Section 144 will be imposed across the state for the next 15 days — until May 1. This means more than five people won’t be allowed to gather in a public place. But, delivery from restaurants and shops will be allowed between 7:00 am and 8:00 pm.

Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) is enforced to stop unlawful assembly of people. It is typically used to stall protests and riots. Schools and other educational institutions will remain shut until the order remains in force. Public gatherings including political rallies won’t be allowed during this time either. “This is no time for politics,” he said.

Uddhav Thackeray calls on PM Modi for help

The state registered over 60,000 cases today, April 13, amid the festive season of Gudi Padwa. “We had better control till January 2021. We are, now, facing a frightening increase in cases,” Thackeray said.


He added that he plans on speaking to PM Modi to provide assistance from the army and the Indian Air Force to address the shortage of oxygen supply and medicines in the state.

“We are continuously upgrading our healthcare infrastructure but they are under pressure. There is a shortage of medical oxygen, beds and the demand for Remdesivir has also increased,” Thackeray explained.

Remdesivir, sold under the brand name of Veklury, was the first drug approved by the US drug regulator for the treatment of SARS-Covid-19 virus. It is an antiviral medication which is used to treat different ranges of viruses.

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