Aaditya Thackeray urges people to maintain distance at grocery shops

Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Aaditya Thackeray on Thursday appealed to the people to maintain proper distance at grocery shops after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray permitted the stores to be open 24/7 in the state.

"Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray Ji has let essential stores like groceries and Kirana stores to be open 24/7 by choice to reduce the crowds and lines. Please do NOT crowd them. Maintain physical distance," Aaditya Thackeray tweeted.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Thackeray said that all the necessary commodity shops will be open in the state.

"All the necessary commodity shops, Kirana shops, dispensary shops or 24-hours-old-day-long contract," CMO Maharashtra tweeted.

The total number of coronavirus positive cases in the state has now risen to 125.

A total of 649 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in India so far, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Tuesday announced a 21-day lockdown in the entire country to deal with the spread of coronavirus, saying that "social distancing" is the only option to deal with the disease, which spreads rapidly.