MUMBAI (Reuters) – India’s richest state, Maharashtra, announced strict conditions of COVID-19 as of Monday, following a rapid increase in infections that now account for more than half of the daily new cases in India.
The state, which includes the financial capital Mumbai, will close shopping malls, theaters, pubs, restaurants and places of worship from Monday night.
Authorities will also impose a complete exclusion on weekends, state government minister Nawab Malik told reporters after a cabinet meeting.
Malik said the government will also set a night clock in the state from 8pm to 7pm Monday, which will only allow essential services to work during those hours.
Uddhav Thackeray, the prime minister of the state, met with a group of top industrialists on Sunday before announcing the new restrictions, according to a statement from his office.
Coronavirus cases continue to increase rapidly in India, with the number of new infections peaking on Sunday, mainly driven by infections in Maharashtra.
According to the federal Department of Health, the country reported 93,249 new cases within 24 hours. Maharashtra, which makes up less than a tenth of India’s population, has a record 49,497 new cases.
According to data from the Ministry of Health, the state has contributed 57% of the total cases and 47% of deaths in the country over the past 14 days.
India alone follows the United States and Brazil in infections, with more than 12 million cases and nearly 165,000 deaths since the outbreak began.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on Sunday to review the situation and vaccination program of COVID-19.
(Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav and Abhirup Roy, editing by Rupam Jain, Frances Kerry, Peter Graff)