The state government said the timing is being extended so that the public places do not overcrowd in the festive season.
The Maharashtra government on Tuesday issued a new order to further relax the Covid-19 restrictions owing to the festive season. The Uddhav Thackeray government extended the operational timing of restaurants and shops till 12 am and 11 pm respectively. Prior to the new order, the business hours were restricted to 10 pm.
As the new order has been issued, the restaurant and bar owners have got a reason to rejoice. They had been demanding to extend the timings to 1:30 am as it was before the pandemic had hit the state. With this new order, the timing of shops have been restored to the original timing.
However, as per the new guidelines, restaurant and shop owners have to be fully inoculated with the Covid-19 vaccine. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray tweeted regarding the new order on his Twitter handle. Explaining the recent decision, the government said that the timing is being extended so that the public places do not overcrowd in the festive season.
The state government had earlier announced that amusement parks, theatres and cinema halls will reopen from October 22. Meanwhile, the state government has already opened public and religious places as well as educational institutions such as colleges, schools keeping in view the Covid-19 protocol.
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