Shops selling essential commodities will be allowed to stay open 24 hours of the day in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced on Thursday evening.
The decision was taken to prevent crowding at shops and marketplaces amid the lockdown to contain the coronavirus pandemic, said a statement from his office.
Mr Thackeray held discussions with senior officials who are in charge of special control room for coronavirus set up at the Mantralaya (state secretariat) about how to ensure smooth supply of essential goods earlier in the day, it added.
However, shop-keepers must ensure that social distancing is maintained and rules about hygiene and sanitizing are followed, the CMO statement said.
Maharashtra has 125 coronavirus cases, highest in the country, as of Thursday.
7 Killed, 3 Injured As Taxi Falls Into Roadside Well In Maharashtra: Report Maharashtra Government Declares Job Training And Stipend Scheme 12 Maoists Killed In 6-Hour Encounter In Maharashtra's Gadchiroli Bangladesh Imposes Curfew, Deploys Military As 105 Die In Protests "Jindal Group Executive Showed Porn, Groped Me On Flight": Woman To NDTV Over 300 Indian Students Return Home As 105 Bangladeshis Killed In Protests Conspiracy Theories Take Off After Global IT Crash UP Train Services Resume At Gonda Accident Site "Good Conversation": S Jaishankar Holds Phone Talks With Ukrainian Counterpart Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.