COVID-19 Update: BMC commissioner allows round-the-clock e-commerce, home delivery of food

BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, speaking to CNBC-TV18, has said that he will issue an order that will allow for round the clock e-commerce and home delivery of food. The order will be issued by 4pm he said. (Representative Image)

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has issued a new order that will allow for round-the-clock e-commerce and home delivery of food, throughout the weekend lockdown as well. The order which was issued on April 7, around 4 pm will be applicable in Mumbai.

"All online home deliveries of food and essential supplies (e-commerce) through all online service providers like Zomato, Swiggie etc are allowed 24 hours on all days in the week. It is clarified that during the weekend lockdown, the take away from hotels in person is not allowed, however, home deliveries are allowed", read the order.

Earlier in the day, Chahal had mentioned the passing of such an order to CNBC-TV18 as well.

The new orders also allow the movement of students and candidates appearing for exams including competitive exams, during the weekend lockdown. The student's examination Hall ticket will be considered valid and they are allowed to be accompanied by one guardian/parent.

Providing some relief to roadside vendors, BMC's new orders allow roadside food stalls, as well as fruit stalls, to provide parcel or take away service. People are not allowed to stand and eat there, however.

Maids, cooks, drivers, house helps, nurses and medical attendees providing services to senior citizens will also be allowed to move between 7 am to 10 pm on all days

The commissioner's new orders come in the wake of strict regulations that were announced in Maharashtra on April 4, by the Uddhav Thackeray-led state government to control the transmission rate of the contagion.

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According to the orders issued under its action plan, 'Break the Chain', the e-commerce service would continue regularly from 7 am to 8 pm. But now, after the commissioner's order comes into force, e-commerce will be allowed to operate round the clock. The same goes for food delivery as well.

In response to the new order, food-tech unicorn Zomato said in a statement, "With safety as our top priority, we believe it's essential to allow round-the-clock access to everyone who is dependent on restaurants and home delivery for their daily meals. We continue to work with our restaurant and delivery partners to ensure complete adherence to safety guidelines and are covering the cost of vaccination as well as the RT-PCR tests required for our delivery fleet."

Co-founder and CEO of Big Basket Hari Menon welcomed the decision, saying that this is great news for consumers and that this time the supply chain is a lot more prepared.

"We also request consumers to avoid stocking up and buy only what they need. The supply chain is in a lot better state of readiness this time around. And consumers have the assurance that all safety and hygiene protocols are strictly adhered to by BigBasket".

From April 5, the state of Maharashtra has been under strict night curfews from 8 pm to 7 am, and will also experience a lockdown every weekend, till April 30.

Maharashtra has been seeing a massive surge in cases, with the latest numbers crossing the 50,000 marks. As of April 6, the state reported 55,469 total cases.

Mumbai itself recorded 10,030 new COVID-19 cases on April 6, the second-highest daily count so far.

The Centre has constituted 50 high-level multi-disciplinary public health teams and deployed them to districts reporting a surge in cases and mortality in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Punjab. These teams were being deployed in 30 districts of Maharashtra, 11 of Chhattisgarh and nine of Punjab.

They will assist the state health department and local authorities in COVID-19 surveillance, control and containment measures.