In Maharashtra, the cinema halls, drama theatres, multiplexes and auditoriums outside the containment zones will reopen today. According to a notification issued by State Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar, these entertainment zones will be allowed to reopen with 50 per cent of its capacity.

The notification does not allow eatables to be taken inside these places.

It was reported that acceding to the request of the entertainment industry the State Government has given a go-ahead to reopen theatres, multiplexes and auditoriums in non-containment zones from today. It will be after a gap of almost eight months that these places will reopen for the people in Maharashtra.

The State Government has also allowed resumption of sporting activities outside the containment zones. The order also states that swimming pools used by international/national and state-level players for their training will be allowed to operate from today.

Yoga institutes and indoor sports like badminton, tennis, squash, shootings will also be allowed to reopen with proper sanitization measures and ensuring social distancing. The SOP for the same will be issued by the Cultural Affairs Department and local authorities. The Cultural Affairs Department will take into consideration the SOP issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

With a high number of COVID patients recovering every day and the sustained fall in the mortality rate, India’s steady trend of registering dipping active cases continues. The active caseload is sustained below the 6L mark for the sixth successive day. Maharashtra has reported the maximum single-day deaths (120 deaths). India’s Case Fatality Rate stands at 1.49%. Presently the active cases comprise merely 6.42% of the total positive cases of the country.