Maharashtra extends lockdown till 31 Aug as cases cross 4 lakh; malls, market complexes to open from 5 Aug

Mumbai: Maharashtra Government on Wednesday extended the lockdown in the state till 31 August in view of rising coronavirus cases.A notification issued by Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar said the decision has been taken as an "emergency step to prevent and contain" the spread of COVID-19.As part of the Mission Begin Again initiative, malls and market complexes without theatres, food courts and restaurants will be operational between 9 am and 7 pm from 5 August, the notification said.Maharashtra Government had last month extended the lockdown till 31 July amid a steady growth in the COVID-19 cases in the state.With 9,211 new patients being detected, the number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra on Wednesday crossed the four lakh-mark.While the case count in the state reached 4,00,651, death toll due to the pandemic went up to 14,463 with 298 patients dying, 60 of them in Mumbai, during the day, said health minister Rajesh Tope.7,478 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the number of recovered cases in the state to 2,39,755. Maharashtra has now 1,46,129 active cases.A total of 20,16,234 people have been tested so far in the state, the health department said in a statement.The Mumbai city and suburban areas reported 1,109 and 3,324 fresh cases of COVID-19, respectively. The case count in the state's capital, thus, is 1,11,991 and death toll 6,247.