As COVID-19 cases decline, Maharashtra lets restaurants and eatries function till midnight

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has permitted all restaurants and eateries to function till midnight, according to a government notification issued by state's chief secretary Sitaram Kunte on Tuesday.The notification comes a day after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray chaired a meeting with the state's COVID Task Force and directed officials to prepare guidelines for extending the operational hours for restaurants and shops.All restaurants and eateries may be allowed to function till midnight and all other establishments that have been allowed to function by the government may be allowed to function till 11 pm, the notification said.The state government has allowed the reopening of amusement parks, theatres and drama theatres from 22 October.However, water rides in amusement parks have still not been permitted, it added.We are slowly relaxing the restrictions and the number of patients seems to be decreasing. We are also reopening cinemas and theatres from 22 October. There is a constant demand to extend the working hours of restaurants and shops, a statement quoting Thackeray had said.Maharashtra reported 1,485 COVID-19 cases on Monday, the lowest daily count in more than 17 months, and 27 deaths, taking the infection tally to 65,93,182 and the toll to 1,39,816, as per the state health department.As of Monday, Maharashtra had 28,008 active cases.