The Mumbai police said on Wednesday that prohibitory orders under the Code of Criminal Procedure’s Section 144 have been imposed in the city from December 16 to December 31 – a period covering Christmas and New Year eve – banning large gatherings as part of measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease.
The order to extend the prohibitory orders was issued amid mounting concerns around cases of Omkicron variant of Sars-cov-2 being reported from several parts of the country. Maharashtra accounts for the largest number of reported Omicron cases in the country, reporting 32 of the country’s 73 cases. It is followed by Rajasthan with 17 cases of the new variant, Delhi with six such infections, Kerala with five, Gujarat with four, Karnataka three, Telangana two, and one each in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh and Tamil Nadu.
The notification issued by the deputy commissioner of police and executive magistrate for Greater Mumbai, Chaintanya S, will continue to be in force in Mumbai till December 31.
The police order said the restrictions were necessary in view of the continued threat posed by the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, which is said to be highly infectious and capable of undergoing frequent mutations.
It requires all to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour notified by the Maharashtra government while in public places in Mumbai,
The notification restricts the access to shops and other establishments in the city and all public transport to only fully vaccinated persons and also restricts attendance for any programme to 50℅ of the capacity of the ground or closed premises concerned. It also provides that any event can be organised and attended by fully vaccinated persons only.
The notification adds that the persons entering Maharashtra should either be fully vaccinated or shall carry negative RT-PCR test results conducted within 72 hours of their entry.
Violators will be punished under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code and other relevant penal provisions, it added.