Coronavirus: India eases rules in worst-hit Maharashtra state; Japan quarantine violators named and shamed
- Shopping centres in Maharashtra can open for longer, but schools and places of worship will remain closed
- Elsewhere, Japan will focus on hospitalising only seriously ill patients as cases soar, while the Philippines will extend a night curfew in Manila
Shops, malls and parks were allowed to open for longer and offices were allowed to operate at full capacity. However, cinemas, schools and places of worship will remain closed, according to a state government notice late on Monday.
At the peak of a second wave of infections driven by the Covid-19 Delta variant in April and May, state authorities imposed restrictions on movements and only let essential shops open.
India reported 30,549 new coronavirus cases in the past day, the government said on Tuesday, the lowest in two weeks, but many experts are wary about new surges with the vaccination rate still low.
“Our models currently predict the infections are now likely to be rising again with a small bump, and not a towering peak towards the end of this month,” Bhramar Mukherjee, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan, told news website The Print.