Amid an alarming spike in coronavirus cases, Mumbai Police have imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in the city with immediate effect. Section 144 of CrPC prohibits the assembly of four or more people in an area. The prohibitory order was issued by Pranaya Ashok, Mumbai Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations). It will be effective till 15 July 2020, unless withdrawn earlier.
The order prohibits any presence or movement of one or more persons in public places or gathering of any sort anywhere, including religious places subject to certain conditions. All movement of one of more persons in the city is prohibited between 9 pm and 5 am.
“The movement of one or more persons areas designated as ‘Containment Zones’ by the municipal authorities is prohibited, except for essential activities,” the order stated.
Considering the rise in Covid-19 cases, the collector of Maharashtra’s Palghar district had also announced a complete lockdown in Jawhar town till July 8. As per a release from the town’s civic body, collector Kailas Shinde had imposed section 144 till July 8, it was stated.
Meanwhile, the financial capital reported a total of 903 new COVID-19 cases and 36 deaths on Tuesday, according to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). “The total number of cases has reached 77,197 in the city,” said BMC.
Maharashtra, the worst-hit state due to the coronavirus pandemic, has reported 1,74,761 number of cases. To contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, earlier the Maharashtra government extended the lockdown imposed as a precautionary measure till July 31.