Last Updated : Oct 29, 2020 07:04 PM IST | Source: Moneycontrol.com

Maharashtra extends COVID-19 lockdown till November 30: Here's what is allowed and what remains prohibited

Maharashtra COVID-19 lockdown: This comes days after the Home Ministry had extended unlock guidelines issued on September 30 till November 30, 2020.

Moneycontrol News

Maharashtra government on October 29 extended the lockdown in the state due to COVID-19 pandemic till November 30 and said that those activities allowed under 'Mission Begin Again' will continue to remain permitted.

This comes days after the Home Ministry had extended unlock guidelines issued on September 30 till November 30, 2020.

"In respect of certain activities, having relatively higher degree of risk of COVID infection, State/ UT Governments have been permitted to take decisions for their re-opening, based on the assessment of the situation and subject to SOPs," the MHA said in a statement on October 27.

Close

Here's what will be allowed and what will remain prohibited in Maharashtra under the new orders:

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

Show

related news

>> Under Unlock 5.0 guidelines and Mission Begin Again, the state government had earlier in October allowed restaurants, bars, food courts to open from October 5, 2020.

>> All industrial and manufacturing units of non-essential items in Mumbai Metropolitan Region will be allowed to operate.

>> The opening hours of normal shops have been increased by two hours. Shops are now permitted to function from 9 AM to 9 PM.

>> In terms of the local trains in capital Mumbai, the government has been opening up access in a graded manner. While women have been allowed to board local trains during fixed time slots, the state government also recently wrote to the Indian Railways, seeking permission to allow everyone to travel on local trains in Mumbai with staggered timings.

>> Public open spaces, gardens, and parks have also been opened up.

>> While high education institutions have been allowed to open for lab work for research scholars only, the state government has said that it will take a call on opening up of schools after the festive season concludes.

>> International travel, except as permitted by MHA, will continue to remain prohibited.

First Published on Oct 29, 2020 07:04 pm