Pune to go on 10-day lockdown starting July 13 amid Covid-19 crisis

In a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19, a 10-day lockdown will be imposed in Pune, Pimpri- Chinchwad and a few other parts of the district starting July 13, a senior official said on Friday.The lockdown will come into force from midnight of July 13 and end on July 23, he said.The decision to enforce the lockdown was taken in a meeting chaired by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and district guardian minister Ajit Pawar here, the official said.

"A lockdown will be imposed in Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and some other areas of the district considering the rise in COVID-19 cases," divisional commissioner (Pune division) Deepak Mhaisekar said.The lockdown period between July 13 and July 18 will be stricter, wherein only milk shops, pharmacies and clinics will be allowed to operate, he said.

Emergency services have been excluded from the lockdown, he added. Meanwhile, district collector Naval Kishore Ram said the decision was taken to break the chain of viral spread, and asked people to buy provisions over the next three days.A detailed order about the lockdown will be issued soon, Pune municipal commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad said.

Talking about bringing back more restrictions during lockdown, Ajit Pawar told reporters that he had a meeting on the issue with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. "I know this decision is inconvenient for some Punekars. 

It is expected that people use masks and follow social distancing norms, but unfortunately at some places, it is not happening. Some people are not serious about following the rules," he said.

Since some people are not cooperating, such a decision had to be taken, the deputy CM added.Pune district saw its highest 24-hour period jump in COVID-19 cases with 1,598 people testing positive for novel coronavirus, taking the count here to 35,997, an official said on Friday.

The death toll crossed the 1000-mark and reached 1,007 as 28 people succumbed to the infection during the day, he added