The Maharashtra government on Thursday said it was considering a proposal to ease lockdown restrictions in phases. It has clarified that the restrictions have not been lifted yet.

A statement said that the Covid pandemic has not yet been controlled and that the infection was still on the rise in certain rural areas. Considering the deadly and changing nature of the coronavirus, easing of restriction is yet to be decided.

The statement was issued after Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Vijay Wadettiwar said that curbs are to be lifted in 18 out of 36 districts in Maharashtra from Friday. “We have prepared a five-level unlock plan on the basis of positivity rate and status of occupancy of oxygen beds in the districts. Districts with the lowest positivity rate will have no restrictions,” Wadettiwar had said.

According to the plan being considered, the government will lift restrictions in districts with less than 5 per cent positivity rate. The districts should have oxygen bed occupancy of less than 25 per cent. In such districts, restaurants, malls, shops, local trains, public places, tourist destinations, public, private offices, theatres, shootings, gatherings, social entertainment, marriages, gym, salon, beauty parlours will be allowed to reopen.

In districts under level 2, gyms, salons and beauty parlors will be allowed to reopen with 50 per cent capacity. There will be restrictions on the gathering of number of people in marriages.

But the official statement pointed out that only under the Break the Chain campaign of the State Government very few restriction have been lifted.