Maharashtra's lockdown-like restrictions will be extended till May 15: Health Minister Rajesh Tope

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The lockdown-like restrictions in Maharashtra will be extended till May 15, State Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on April 28.

The stringent curbs have been imposed in the state since April 21 to reduce the pace of COVID-19 transmission.

The decision to extend the lockdown was finalised at the State Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Free Press Journal reported.

Following the Cabinet meeting, Tope told reporters that all ministers in the government suggested that the lockdown-like curbs should continue for another fortnight.

"It (the lockdown) will be extended by 15 days," news agency PTI quoted Tope as saying.

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope says lockdown in the state will be extended by another 15 days. The restrictions were to end on April 30.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

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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.

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— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 28, 2021

Also Read: COVID-19 restrictions likely to continue in Maharashtra till cases stabilise, says BMC Chief

As part of the current restrictions, private offices, non-essential shops and establishments are ordered to remain completely shut.

The government offices operate at 15 percent strength, whereas, essential shops and service providers, including groceries, fish, chicken, vegetable, fruits, meat and egg sellers are allowed to operate between 7 am to 11 am.

Apart from the extension of curbs, the Maharashtra Cabinet on April 28 also decided that the state government will provide free COVID-19 vaccination to all the citizens aged between 18-44 years.

The inoculation drive beginning from May 1 lists all adults of the country as eligible for the anti-COVID jabs. However, a number of states including Maharashtra have red-flagged the shortage of supply.

"We have all the infrastructure to conduct vaccination but we don't have vaccines in adequate quantity. The CM is talking to different vaccine manufacturers. There will be separate centres for vaccination of those between 18-44 years of age," Tope said.